Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
Ajdabiya, Cairo (The Fatimid Period),
Libiya, Mahdiya, Tunisia
Fez
Moroccan city noted for its Islamic architecture.
Fez is located in the north-east of Morocco on either
side of the Wadi Fez. The city was founded in the
late eighth and early ninth century by Moulay Idris
the Younger. It was divided into two halves, the east
bank representing the late eighth-century city and
the west bank representing the city of Moulay Idris.
Each of the districts had its own congregational
mosque, that on the west bank is known as the
Qarawiyyin Mosque and that on the east is known
as the mosque of the Andalusians.
The Qarawiyyin Mosque, founded in 859, is the
most famous mosque of Morocco and attracted
continuous investment by Muslim rulers. There
were extensive renovations in 956 by the Umayyad
caliph of Spain who also added the minaret. The
building did not reach its present form and size (85
by 44 m) until 1135. The prayer hall comprises ten
aisles running parallel to the qibla wall and a raised
transverse aisle leading to the mihrab. The aisles
are covered with gabled wooden roofs covered with
roof tiles. There is a dome over the mihrab and the
entrance porch in addition to the seven domes
which cover the north arcade of the courtyard. The
domes are made of elaborate muqarnas vaulting
with zig-zag ribbing on the exterior. Inside the
mosque is decorated with stucco, the most elaborate
being reserved for the area in front of the mihrab.
The mosque preserves its twelfth-century minbar
which is regarded as one of the finest in the world.
The courtyard is decorated with tile mosaic (zilij)
dadoes and has a magnificent ablutions pavilion at
the west. The pavilion, built in the sixteenth century,
rests on eight marble columns and has a tile-covered
wooden roof with overhanging eaves. The
woodwork of the eaves is of exceptional quality
with carved muqarnas mouldings and miniature
engaged piers forming blind niches decorated with
geometric interlace.
The mosque of the Andalusians has a similar plan
to the Qarawiyyin Mosque although it is less well
endowed. Like its twin this mosque had a minaret
added by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Rahman,
although subsequent restorations were less
successful. The other Great Mosque of Fez, the Jama
al-Hamra, was built in 1276 and has aisles aligned
perpendicular to the qibla wall in the typical North
African style.
From the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries
the madrassa became the principal form of religious
architecture. The madrassas of Fez have a standard
form of a two-storey courtyard building, with
students’ cells above and a mosque and teaching
rooms below. The courtyards were usually decorated
with tile mosaic and had a central pool. The most
famous examples are the Saffarin, the Sahrij, the
Attarin and the Bu 
Inaniya each of which has special
features to distinguish it from its neighbours. The
Bu 
Inaniya is the most unusual as it has a minaret
and an early mechanical clock with gongs.
Most of the houses in Fez date from the
seventeenth century or later although they preserve
earlier plans. The standard construction material is
either rubble stone or baked brick, with wood used
for the roofs and decorative details. The usual plan
is similar to the madrassas, with a rectangular
courtyard and two storeys although the houses are
usually less spacious.