User:Hallc2282/Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail

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The gate of the Royal Palace in Meknes, Morocco

The Architecture of The Kasbah

El Baadi Palace, Marrackech, Morocco

Moulay Ismail constructed the Kasbah as a demonstration of his power, and as a means to stand out from previous Moroccan rulers. The complex contained multiple features, such as gardens and reservoirs. In addition to the construction of the Kasbah, Ismail made the decision to move the capital of the empire from Fez to Meknes. Immediately after doing this, Ismail began building the Kasbah. Within the complex itself, are three different palaces--Dar al-Kebira, Dar al-Madrasa, and Ksar al-Mhanncha. The Dar al-Kebira, which is where the Mausoleum that Ismail built for himself is located. Though the palace itself was not able to withstand the centuries since it's construction, the Mausoleum within it has been excellently maintained to this day. Since the Kasbah was also a residence for the family of Sultan Ismail to live, the Dar al-Kebira palace also included functional services for recreation such as courtyards and rooms to entertain.The Kasbah, as well as the mausoleum within it both adhere to the style of architecture that is common to Morocco. Moroccan style architecture utilizes a lot of ornament, and the Kasbah was no different. Though Moulay Ismail was wealthy and had put a lot of his own money into its construction, he also stole from other palaces for his palace complex, such as the 'Badi palace. Much of the ornament in the palace complex used materials from other palaces.

Architecture and layout[edit]

Main courtyard next to the mausoleum (looking east; cupola of the tomb chamber visible in the upper right)

Arabic calligraphy carved into the walls of the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail

The funerary complex consists of various courtyards and chambers. The main central courtyard, located on the west side of the tomb chamber, is sparsely decorated except for a central fountain and zellij pavement. The western and eastern sides of the courtyard are occupied by porticoes of three horseshoe arches. The eastern wall of the courtyard, in front of the mausoleum, also features a small mihrab (niche indicating the direction of prayer). Behind this are the mausoleum chamber and adjoining rooms. The northernmost of these rooms, which can be accessed directly from the northeastern corner of the courtyard, consists of an indoor patio or courtyard covered by a high cupola ceiling. The layout of this patio is similar to the Chamber of the Twelve Columns in the Saadian Tombs, consisting of a square delineated by twelve marble columns arranged in groups of three at each corner, around which runs a gallery space. Another mihrab is set into the eastern wall, while a small side-chamber is set into the western wall. The upper walls and the areas around the mihrab and doorways are decorated with carved and painted stucco featuring arabesque and epigraphic motifs typical of Moroccan architecture. At the center of the patio is an ornate fountain, and while the cupola ceiling above primarily features painted and carved wood. The marble columns feature Moroccan-Andalusian capitals carved with leaf, palm, and palmette motifs. These marble columns, as well as the ornately-carved marble panels in the archway leading to the mausoleum antechamber, are believed to be spolia taken by Moulay Isma'il from the former Saadian palaces of in the Kasbah of Marrakesh (such as the Badi Palace).

A chandelier hanging within the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail

In addition to these features, some of the things that were plundered from the 'Badi Palce were different types of wood, ivory and ceramic tiles. Also typical to Moroccan architecture, the mausoleum contains ornate mosaic work both on the walls, and floors of the interior of the complex, while the outer walls remain largely undecorated. This is common for Moroccan style mausoleums. The indoor patio of the mausoleum has mosaics on the walls that are in a circular pattern--geometric mosaics are another staple of Moroccan architecture. The actual tomb that contains the remains of Moulay Ismail also has those geometric mosaics on the lower half of the walls, while the upper half of the wall has more of the flower motifs carved into it. Another commonality for Moroccan mausoleums is for the upper walls of the exterior of the structure to remain quite plain, while the floors and lower sections of the wall are decorated with mosaics. In terms of the lighting in the space, much of it is natural light that comes in through the windows, but there are lit chandeliers throughout the mausoleum.

Outdoor patio of the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail