Architecture of Fez


As Morocco is situated in Northern Africa, bordering both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, its location has made it vulnerable to other culture's influences. This has contributed greatly to the architecture's uniqueness. The amalgamation of styles from Mediterranean, African, Persian and Islamic cultures has resulted in the establishment of its own distinctive style, becoming unlike any other culture. As such, the architecture of Fez has developed the reputation of being the "Athens of Africa" due to its architecture encapsulating a blend of Arab and Persian cultures.
Unlike any other Medina in Morocco, Fez epitomises the traditional lifestyle of Morocco most notably due to instituting a large majority of the religious, civil and military sites. It is often considered the cultural and spiritual centre of Morocco. Hence, Fez is renowned for the survival of its diversity in architectural structures, such as mosques, hammâns, riads, souks, ramparts, palaces and madrasas. Each serve a different purpose towards shaping the urban structure of the Medina, and therefore have their own distinctive architectural style. The various structural types, each with their idiosyncratic design qualities, makes the architecture in Fez unique.

History of Fez

was first recognised as an Arab town when founded in 789 by the Arab Idriss II. After the migration of 8000 families from Muslim Spain and Portugal, and also Arab families from Kairouan in Tunisia, Fez became a nascent city due to its cultural richness. The decline of the Idrisid dynasty resulted in a succession of various empires ruling, all of which failed.
The rise of the Almoravids in the 11th century advanced the merchant economic activity of the city and its intellectual influence. As the population grew to over 200,000, the need for a place of worship and teaching heightened, which prompted the establishment of the University Al Quaraouiyine, functioning as a religious centre and also educational institution.
Fez regained its political status and became recognised as the capital during the Marinid dynasty between the 13th and 15th century. Persian architectural styles subtly began to influence the architecture at this time due to the migration of Jewish people from Northern African regions.
After the decline of the Marinid dynasty, the central power started to diminish as political and cultural competition with Marrakech heightened. However, it remained the capital until 1912. At this time, European interference also increased due to French colonialism instigating the establishment of the Nouvelle Ville region. In 1912, the Treaty of Fez was signed, and Morocco became a French Protectorate, despite Spain still controlling the north of Morocco. It was not until 1956 where Morocco gained independence from France and Spain.
Today, the Medina of Fez has conserved the original functions and architecture of this urban space, leading to its inscription on the World Heritage List in 1981. The successful survival of traditional architecture can be attributed to the commitment to continue to reflect the styles of the successive waves of inhabitants, encroaching the city over its long history.

Structure of the Medina

The Medina of Fez constitutes an area of 800 acres and is enclosed by 25 kilometres of historic walls. The Medina is cohesively structured due to its urban layout being organised into two distinct levels: the strategic and local. The strategic level consists of macro urban infrastructure. Contrastingly, the local level consists of infrastructure with residential, commercial or industrial purposes.
The strategic level is composed of four different urban centres: Andalus, Qarawiyin, Bu’inaniya and Fes-al-Jadid. Although each of these centres are separate, they are linked by a complex pedestrian distribution network, in order to ease movement between different parts of the Medina and aid accessibility. All the main urban facilities are also located within this region, such as mosques, hammãms, palaces, madrasas and kasbahs.
The local level consists of 19 different urban districts, which contain intertwined residential, commercial and industrial neighbourhoods. The hierarchical nature of the urban layout can be seen through the gradual transitioning from the strategic to local level. This transition is made possible through a series of intricate thoroughfare networks and gates.

Other culture's influences on the architecture

Fez is composed of two distinctive areas: the traditional Arabic-Islamic city centre and the modern La Nouvelle Ville region, which developed as a result of French colonialisation. The dynamic urban evolution of Fez and how its architecture incorporates an amalgamation of cultural styles, is a result of its vulnerability to other culture's influences. This is due to the unique position of Morocco in Northern Africa, as it borders the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Hence, the unique geography of Morocco has resulted in the architectural styles of neighbouring countries infiltrating Fez and pervading its architecture. Simultaneously, its long history of military encroachments and intruders has increased this external influence. As the architecture in Fez encapsulates a variety of cultural influences, the architecture has developed its own unique style, blending a myriad range of styles.
Although the urban environment has faced persistent pressures to undergo modernisation, the architecture has abstained from this pressure. Due to the conservation of this historical space, its architecture is a strong embodiment of its cultural and spiritual heritage. The architecture within Fez is renowned for preserving the active history of the city, which led to its inscription on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1981. The reason for its success in conserving the historic environment of the city can be attributed to the city's philosophy for history, culture and heritage.

Islamic

The use of zellige tiling has become integrated into the architecture as a result of Islamic influence. In Arabic, zellige translates to “little polished stone”. Zellige tiling is a technique where individual glazed terracotta tiles are organised to form a composition of geometric patterns, in order to create unique spatial decorations. Blue, green and yellow colours were used with zellige tiling during the Marinid dynasty. Red was introduced in the 17th century, whilst natural colours did not become integrated until the 20th century.
The Islamic belief that art, architecture or any functional mediums should not incorporate figures of living creatures resulted in the development non-figurative art techniques, such as geometric patterns. Geometric patterns are formed by a series of basic structural shapes and rhythmic linear designs to produce one larger, overarching tessellated pattern. This is a type of arabesque style and is common in architecture in Fez due to the Islamic influence.
Fountains have also evolved to become an integral component of architecture in Fez due to the Islamic influence. This is because water is used in ritual ablation for Islamic's, which is conducted prior to prayer, and also as it is considered to be a depiction of paradise.

French

As France invaded Morocco in 1912, the architecture was also strongly affected by their style. Due to this encroachment, the French protector asserted a series of guidelines that architectural structural types should be committed to conform to. For instance, buildings should not be higher than four storeys, roofs were meant to be flat, and 20% of any estate was required to form a courtyard or garden.

Moorish

Elements of Moorish architecture, which was derived in the Maghreb region and the Iberian Peninsula, have also been employed within the architecture in Fez. For instance, Moorish arches are integrated into the design of many different architectural features, such as doors, entrances and windows. There are two different shapes that archways commonly adopt. The first being a clover shape, resembling the shape of a horseshoe, and the second being a cusped shape, resembling a keyhole.
The exposure to Moorish influences has also prompted the architecture in Fez to integrate voussoirs and muqarnas, which are applied to the surfaces of domes and arches. A voussoir is a wedge-shaped feature applied to archways, in order to avoid the use of a rectangular opening to form a lintel. A voussoir is used most often when archways are made of stone. A muqarna is a type of ornamented vaulting, which forms a type of cellular structure that resembles a honeycomb.

Different structural types

Mosque

Mosques are one of the most prominent architectural structures in Fez. The purpose of a mosque is multifaceted, as it serves as a place for worship and prayer, but at the same time is also considered an important centre for education and learning. As such, mosques are an indispensable component of the urban fabric of the Medina, as it brings the community together in order to act as a social, community centre and educational centre.
The Mosque of Al Qarawiyin is renowned as the largest mosque in Northern Africa. The sharp rise in the population due to the congregation of Arab immigrants from Qayrawân to the eastern bank of Oued Fez, increased the demand for a place of worship. Consequently, the mosque was constructed by Fatima Al-Fihri, a wealthy immigrant from Qayrawân, who used her inheritance to execute this project. As the Medina of Fez continued to grow, the mosque underwent multiple additions between the 12th and 18th centuries, such as elaborate ornamentation, prayer inscriptions and dome constructions.
Although the mosque was first established as a place of worship, teaching lessons were also conducted within the mosque, as it evolved to become a place for spreading awareness and knowledge of Islamic traditions. Thus, it has simultaneously developed into a major educational institution with scholarly status.

Madrasa

A madrasa essentially functions as a congregational mosque for religious teaching, whilst also are important educational institutes for studies of law and philosophy. Madrasas have a large open courtyard positioned in the centre of the structure, which are enclosed by towering walls, containing elaborate ornamentations of Islamic calligraphy and zellige tiling.
Constructed in the 14th century, the Bou Inania Madrasa in Fez is the second largest madrasa in Morocco. The Bou Inania Madrasa is one of the finest examples of daring craftsmanship due to its zellige tilework that forms intricate geometric designs and stunning floral patterns. The large, marble courtyard is surrounded by two large hallways, forming an entry point to an oratory on either side. Another exquisite feature of the madrasa is the domed-shaped archways and carved cedar beams. It is also the only madrasa in Fez with a minaret, which is a conical-shaped crowned tower, attached to the mosque that is used to perform the call to prayer.

Hammãm

As a public bathing space, hammãms are a crucial hygiene facility. Hammãms are often located adjacent to mosques, as hygiene and prayer are two essential constituents of Islamic rituals. Out of the total 5000 hammãms in Morocco, 120 of them are located within Fez. A hammãm consists of three rooms that can be differentiated by their varying temperatures: cold room, warm room and hot room.
Hammãms are distinct from other structural types due to their modest and sober architectural qualities. Internal bathing areas are characterised by a series of long and narrow vaulted spaces, which are often interrupted with a dome in order to generate an arena of tranquillity. Instead of using zellige tiling to create eccentric patterns, wall rendering is used with Tadlakt to smoothen the wall surfaces and also to resist high humidity.

Riad

A riad is an example of domestic architecture, as it is a type of traditional house generally consisting of a garden or courtyard. The word "riad" derives from the Arabic term for garden. Historically, a riad was considered a city home only for wealthy citizens, such as merchants and courtiers. Today, many riads have been converted into guesthouses and act as a place for accommodation for tourists and visitors.
A typical Moroccan riad has two or more storeys, whilst having an inward focus with a centrally positioned courtyard and balconies positioned highly to overlook this courtyard. The courtyard of a traditional riad contains a fountain and four orange or lemon trees. Generally, riads are open roof in order to allow air, sunlight and rain to enter the courtyard. Today, some riads have employed a glass layer over the roof or have pitched roof edges to prevent an excess of rain to enter.
Riads also consist of very few windows on the exterior walls, in order to allow for privacy. The walls often consist of clay or mud brick, whilst are also adorned with tadelakt plaster and zellige tile work.