User:Hfarrugia21/Architectural History, Styles, and Materials of Morocco

Located in Northern Africa, Moroccan Architecture dates back to early 110 BCE and is known for its distinctive, highly decorative features and diversity in architectural influences reflecting its long history. Due to its diversity of geological influences, a variety of different architectural styles are present throughout the country that showcase its history. Architectural structures in Morocco are built in consideration of the region and climate, using materials and building techniques in consideration of this or to regulate temperature in the hot climate.

History Overview

Berber Influence

Moroccan Kasbah constructed from rammed earth and decorated with intricate motifs

The Berbers are the indigenous group in Northern Africa and what is now Morocco and were responsible for developing Morocco’s first architectural design traditions. This consisted of large-scale buildings constructed primarily of mud brick and focussed on practicality and security in order to ward off adversaries. Although mud brick, or pise, was one of the original building materials used in Moroccan architecture, it is no longer commonly used today. Because of its tendency to absorb water, rebuilding the structures was a common occurrence, however, the practice helped to advance Moroccan building techniques and led to changes in the materials used overtime. Berber architecture is more commonly associated with regions of Morocco formerly ruled by the Berbers which tend to be more rural areas with land marked by kasbahs and ksour. Regions where these structures and the majority of Berber architecture are common includes areas such as the Atlas Mountains and Sahara and pre-Sahara regions.

Islamic Influence

Fountain at Bahia Palace in Marrakesh, Morocco decorated with zeillij tile work

The arrival of the country's first Arab leader, Idris I of Morocco, was a major event contributing to the arrival of Islam in Morocco. Along with it brought the introduction of Mosques to Moroccan Architecture. These were designed to be highly individualized and distinctive making them stand out among surrounding architectural structures. Additionally, highly decorative Moroccan tiles called zellij, which refers to the geometric arrangement of tiles in eye-catching patterns, was introduced and is still extremely popular in Moroccan design today. Due to the significance of water to both Islam and Moroccam cultures, fountains were introduced and played in important role in their architectural design. This served as a place to perform customary ablutions prior to prayer. Furthermore, because Islam does not allow the depiction of living beings in decorative imagery, Islamic influence pushed the prominence of patterns and geometric designs as focal points.

Spanish and Moorish Influence

In the 11th century, the Berber Kingdom ruled over Morocco and southern Spain. At the same time, the Moors occupied southern Spain and Morocco resulting in Moorish design influence in its architecture. This introduced elements such as horseshoe and cusped arches, which became known as Moorish Arches, in addition to the practice of overlaying red roofing tiles and the use of hand glazed tiles. The Alhambra Garden in Spain was also highly influential to Morocco and inspired the Andalusian gardens.

French Influence

Casablanca, Morocco occupied by French during the French protectorate

In the 20th century, France occupied and began colonizing Morocco. Upon the establishment of the French protectorate by the Treaty of Fez, restrictions were imposed on Moroccan architecture in 1912 and added regulations on building construction. Henri Prost was a French architect and urban planner. The developments under his control added regulations to building heights and balconies as well as requirements for level roofs. These restrictions were imposed to combat concerns of large amounts of unplanned new construction. During this time, efforts of restoring and preserving historic structures was no longer a priority and the focus was instead put on the development of new and modern construction.

Another addition to Moroccan architecture that resulted from French influence was an abundance of windows becoming common in structures built.

Architectural Styles in Morocco

Mosques

Koutoubia Mosque Marrekesh, Morocco

The most important structures found in Morocco are Mosques with at least one Mosque present in every city. Each mosque has walls and fountains covered in beautiful tile work called “zellij” as mentioned above. Additionally, niches called mihrab covered in stucco and marble point in the direction of Mecca. The beauty and detail of Mosques throughout Morocco make them a key location for Moroccan tourists.

Riads

Kasbah Tifoultoute, Morocco, Ouarzazate Province

Riads are traditional homes and palaces in Morocco built with the intention of seclusion and protection from the Moroccan climate. They promote privacy for families that reside in them with windows opening up to a central courtyards. In these courtyard spaces, fountains and citrus fruit trees are commonly found. Riads of those who were wealthy were typically decorated with zellij and stucco detailing. Today, many of these raids have been turned into hotels and restaurants.

Kasbahs

Kasbahs are a type of medina which are commonly known as small cities built for defense and security, constructed with tall walls built to match their surroundings. Their tan exteriors are typically made from mixing mud and wheat grain. This mix enables kasbahs to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Some popular Moroccan kasbahs includes, Kasbah of Ait Ben Hubbou, Kasbah Tifoultoute, and Kasbah of Udayas.

Madrasa

Medersa Ben Youssef, Marrakech, Morocco

Madrasas are religious centers of study that teach religion, philosophy, and astrology. They are unique from dorm rooms where students typically reside, instead containing highly decorated arches, detailed stucco, large gates, and a central courtyard. Within the walls is a mosque ordained with islamic calligraphy and motifs with green and white zellij tile. Madrasa Bou Inauia and Ben Youssef are a couple examples of Madrasas in Morocco.

Materials in Architecture and traditional Ksour Buildings

Ksar Igmoudane in southeastern Morocco

Climate

Morocco has an abundance of materials that equip buildings for the dry, hot climate. Temperatures have been known to reach 115 °F. and even higher in some cases.  Because of this, preserving food and protecting oneself from the extreme temperatures is something Moroccans have mastered. There are several techniques employed by Moroccans to combat this harsh climate. For example meat is often dried on the roof to extend its shelf life and local fruits such as dates can be placed in the bottom of large clay pots allowing them to last up to 6 years. Their traditional buildings as explained in the following paragraph are also crafted to fit the heat as well.

Ksour

Ksour are the oldest known architectural framework in Morocco. These structures are created from mud brick and rammed earth. A significant amount of African architecture tends to be built from some sort of mud brick, terracotta, or wheat grain clay mixture. This is due to their dry climate and the natural resources found in Morocco as well as throughout the rest of the African continent. The mud brick and rammed earth combination acts as an insulator to maintain cool temperatures inside the structures. These buildings are hard to sustain and as a result, have been abandoned and replaced with new concrete developments overtime, despite concrete not being an appropriate building material for the Moroccan climate.

These Ksour are tall towers and are usually encompassed by a surrounding city wall. The individual Ksour do not have many windows and typically only include one in the roof. Normally these are built to be two stories tall with the bottom level used to hold livestock and their food. The upper floor houses the family and sometimes grain while the rooftop is where food is dried and often stored.  

Interior view in Ksar Aramd, southeastern Morocco.

Materials

Some other common materials include stucco and lime to give walls and openings a smooth finish. Mud brick, as mentioned previously, was often combined with straw or small sticks that were incorporated into the mixture to help the bricks hold their shape. Ksour and other village houses were the most common buildings that used this material, however, this technique was also used on other civic buildings and mosques. Other materials such as wood and stone were commonly used as decorative pieces over doorways or to cover a section of a wall. Stucco was used not only to smooth but was also carved or scored into to create elaborate designs. Tile and bronze were also utilized for many decorative details.

An Extinction of the Art

Ksar Tissergate - Zagora - Morocco

The art of building these ksour is being lost overtime. The last known ksour were presumed to have been built roughly 500 years ago by a group of people known for both designing these architecturally and also building the structures themselves. This art was passed down strictly through oral communication. Unfortunately these structures are crumbling without a continued upkeep. Southern Morocco’s ksour are considered to be one of the greatest cultural assets of Morocco but many Moroccans have moved out of their traditional homes (ksour) resulting in a lack of maintenance and accelerating their deterioration.