Madrasa of al-'Attarin

File / Documentation

Name

162952_sv.jpg

Size

5.94 MB

Format

JPEG

Checksum (MD5)

e96e9859853b7fde1020c7f4ad7c3744

Creator(s)

Islamic, North African

Location

Site: Fez (Fès province, Morocco)

Cultural context

Islamic

North African

Description

"The al-Attarine madrasa, like the other Marinid madrasas of Fez, is celebrated for its rich decorative programme, concentrated in the rectangular arcaded courtyard. The courtyard opens onto a square prayer hall, and is luxuriously ornamented with glazed tile (zellij) dados and pavement, intricate carved stucco ornament on walls and piers, carved and painted wooden arches and cornices, and marble columns. The al-Attarin Madrasa, and the other Marinid madrasas, illustrate the translation of a palatial language of materials and decorations into a religious setting. Though the carved stucco and glazed tile revetment clearly evoke the Nasrid palace of Alhambra in Spain, their highly delicate, almost lace-like, treatment and tendency to ever smaller scale is unique to the Marinid foundations in Morocco."
Source: Archnet

interior, detail of carved stucco ornament, intrados of courtyard arch, 1990

Work type

Madrasa

Medium

stucco

ceramic tile

marble

stone

wood (plant material)

Keywords

Fès (Morocco)

Bazaars (Markets)