Publication Date
The first cistern: AH 5th century / AD 11th century. The first wing: AH 10th century / AD 16th century. The final building: AH 11th century / AD 17th century.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;23;ar
Library Location
About 4 km southwest of the Koutoubia Mosque, Marrakesh, Morocco
Date
The first cistern: AH 5th century / AD 11th century. The first wing: AH 10th century / AD 16th century. The final building: AH 11th century / AD 17th century.
Notes
Abd al-Mu'min, the first Almohad Sultan, ordered the digging of two large ponds in Marrakesh, one outside the city, known as the Cow Cistern, for the benefit of livestock breeders in the region, and another pond inside his private orchard, known as the Menara Cistern, a name that may be related to the Koutoubia Mosque, the city's main landmark. However, the water pool was not explicitly referred to as the lighthouse, except during the reign of the Marinids (7th-9th century AH / 13th-15th century AD). In this regard, it must be noted that the historian, Khaled al-Nasiri, in his book “Investigation of the Al-Kutubiya Lighthouse”, gave it the name “Al-Manar Silo”. The Saadian sultans used, from time to time, a temporary residence that they built on the edge of the pool. But credit goes to the Alawite Sultan, Sidi Muhammad, son of Sultan Mawla Abd al-Rahman (ruled in the period 1238 - 1276 AH / 1822 - 1859 AD), the Sultan Caliph (Vice King) in Marrakesh, in reforming the Almohad blessing and restoring the status of the great royal monarchy. He restored the huge wall that constitutes the fence that protects 96 hectares of orchards (1,200 meters long and 800 meters wide), improved its water supply, and built a royal pavilion, a guard post, and a place for horses on the outskirts of the large central water pool, which is 200 meters long and 150 meters wide. The royal pavilion appears in the form of a sparsely decorated building, with modest dimensions, and its walls built of thick stones. Its corners are made of brick, and its square pyramidal roof is covered with bright green tiles. This pavilion was built on two levels: - A ground floor, which is a rectangular hall open with three arches to the water pool, and extended to the back through a waiting room. - An upper floor (Al-Manzah), in which there is an isolated square hall containing a large balcony, with a railing, overlooking the water pool, and also extended to the back by a waiting room, which has three windows opening to The mountain. The balcony was equipped with a strikingly low square door, and it is likely that this design was implemented to prevent people around the pond from seeing what was inside the park, and to avoid exposure to excessive sun and heat. This door was attached to a deep solid arch and decorated with a decorative element of stone, within a frame whose upper bar carries the inscription relating to the founding. The inside of the park is decorated with a simple and colorful geometric decoration that exudes joy. It is sweet and limited to thin threads of dye, with bright colors on the corners of the prominent outer dome and around the window. The small staircase, connecting to the floor, extends to a small terrace, based on the park’s waiting room, offering an unobstructed view of the large royal orchard, the interior areas, and the Atlas Mountains. Despite its simplicity, the lighthouse pavilion has become one of the symbols of the city of Marrakesh.
Sample Text
Kamal Lakhdar “The Lighthouse” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;23;ar
