Upon arriving at the edge of the desert, we made our way-via camel-to our tented encampment, tucked securely in a valley between sand dunes. Leaving the urban centers, our group journeyed east and south towards the Sahara, passing small villages of mud-brick architecture nestled among oases. Right: Tour participants marvel at the intricate mosaic tilework Left: Light and shadow in the courtyard of the Medersa Bou Inania, 14th century. The square shape of the minaret was borrowed from earlier Almohad models, such as the Hassan Tower in Rabat, while the polychrome zellij mosaic tilework continued to be used in later architecture, such as the 20th-century Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. Interestingly, this is the only medersa in Fes that has a minaret.
The stunning interior courtyard of the medersa boasts some of the finest examples of zellij polychrome mosaic tile, carved stucco, and carved cedar woodwork. Some days later, we found ourselves in Fes at the Medersa Bou Inania, a religious school or medersa (more commonly called a madrasa) constructed in about 1350 at the peak of the Marinid dynasty (1217–1465). The Hassan Tower, a half-constructed minaret built in the late 12th century, standing amid the columns of the mosque in Rabat Today, the tower that would have been his minaret stands in Rabat, only partially constructed, amid columns that were intended to be the framework of the mosque. When the caliph died in 1199, craftsmen and workers laid down their tools, and his dream was never realized. 1184–1199), who in the late 12th century endeavored to construct the largest mosque and minaret in the world. As we moved on to Rabat, I realized that the tower designed by Pinseau actualized the vision of the Almohad Caliph Yacoub al-Mansour (r. Designed by French architect Michel Pinseau (1926–1999), the soaring square minaret is the world's tallest at a staggering 689 feet (210 metres). In our 12-day journey we traveled from the Atlantic Ocean to the Sahara, passing forests and mountain ranges along the way but while the topography of Morocco is stunning and diverse, our sights were set on the art and architecture of this majestic land.Ī perfect theme for our trip could have been "tradition and continuity." The first site we visited upon arriving in Casablanca was the Hassan II Mosque-a colossal structure completed in 1993 and built in the style of much earlier Moroccan architecture.
All photos by the authorīetween March 24 and April 5, Travel with The Met ventured to Morocco, a place Edith Wharton once described as "the land of mists and mysteries" when she visited it exactly 100 years ago.
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