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The Marinid religious complex of Chellah


History


On the south (left) bank of the Bou Regreg estuary near Rabat, Morocco, the Chellah or Shalla is an old archeological site and walled Muslim necropolis from the Middle Ages. The earliest signs of human habitation on the site indicate that the Phoenicians built a trading hub here in the first millennium BC. Before it was abandoned in Late Antiquity, this was the location of Sala Colonia, an ancient Roman settlement in the province of Mauretania Tingitana. The Marinid dynasty started using the location as a dynastic necropolis in the late 13th century. By the middle of the fourteenth century, Marinid sultans had built a religious complex inside of a section of the site and surrounded it with new walls to house their mausoleums. The necropolis started to deteriorate in the 15th century, and over the decades, it was damaged by earthquakes and plundering. The old Roman town's remnants were discovered during archaeological investigations in the 20th century. The location is a popular tourist destination nowadays and has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 2012.

Urban and Architectural


The mosque is a hypostyle hall that is situated in the complex's southwest corner. Two rows of horseshoe arches split it into three naves. A central aisle that runs towards the mihrab on the southeast wall is defined by two additional rows of arches that are parallel to the others. A modest, partially-destroyed minaret with a square base and polylobed-arch windows is located at the southwest corner of the mosque. A tiny water basin or well used for ablutions is located outside the mosque, next to the minaret, and is supplied by a nearby spring.

Description


A rawda, or garden cemetery, may be seen on the mosque's southeast side, behind the qibla wall. It comprises of a lengthy enclosure with a number of tombs strewn around the open area and at least four crumbling mausoleums.

References


https://www.archnet.org/sites/1744

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chellah

https://earth.google.com/web/search/Chellah,+%d9%85%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%af+%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%b3%d8%8c+Rabat,+Morocco/@34.00650482,-6.82051681,29.2668853a,196.87852523d,35y,26.87861688h,0.29668541t,0r/data=CpkBGm8SaQokMHhkYTc2Yjc2NGU1MzRjODc6MHhhNzBjZDc5Y2E1YzIzZTg1GUnx8QnZAEFAIUJJN3gVSBvAKi9DaGVsbGFoLCDZhdit2YXYryDYp9mE2LPYp9iv2LPYjCBSYWJhdCwgTW9yb2NjbxgCIAEiJgokCVIe-6wVyEBAEbVJtsfBx0BAGZBMX9UWbh7AIURP5lqUcR7A


Details

Location

Chellah, محمد السادس، Rabat, Morocco

Worshippers

1000

Owners

Abu Sa'id Úthman Ibn Yaq'ub - Ali Ben Yusef

Year of Build

Construction started between 1310-1331/709-731 AH, ended in 1339/ 739 AH; Destroyed (earthquake) 1755/1168 AH

Area

2000

Drawings

Map

History

On the south (left) bank of the Bou Regreg estuary near Rabat, Morocco, the Chellah or Shalla is an old archeological site and walled Muslim necropolis from the Middle Ages. The earliest signs of human habitation on the site indicate that the Phoenicians built a trading hub here in the first millennium BC. Before it was abandoned in Late Antiquity, this was the location of Sala Colonia, an ancient Roman settlement in the province of Mauretania Tingitana. The Marinid dynasty started using the location as a dynastic necropolis in the late 13th century. By the middle of the fourteenth century, Marinid sultans had built a religious complex inside of a section of the site and surrounded it with new walls to house their mausoleums. The necropolis started to deteriorate in the 15th century, and over the decades, it was damaged by earthquakes and plundering. The old Roman town's remnants were discovered during archaeological investigations in the 20th century. The location is a popular tourist destination nowadays and has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 2012.

Urban and Architectural

The mosque is a hypostyle hall that is situated in the complex's southwest corner. Two rows of horseshoe arches split it into three naves. A central aisle that runs towards the mihrab on the southeast wall is defined by two additional rows of arches that are parallel to the others. A modest, partially-destroyed minaret with a square base and polylobed-arch windows is located at the southwest corner of the mosque. A tiny water basin or well used for ablutions is located outside the mosque, next to the minaret, and is supplied by a nearby spring.

Description

A rawda, or garden cemetery, may be seen on the mosque's southeast side, behind the qibla wall. It comprises of a lengthy enclosure with a number of tombs strewn around the open area and at least four crumbling mausoleums.