Publication Date
10th - 11th century AH / 15th - 16th century AD
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;30;ar
Library Location
The city of Chefchaouen, or Chaouen, is located 110 km from the city of Tangier, and 60 km from the city of Tetouan, Chefchaouen City, Chaouen, Morocco
Date
10th - 11th century AH / 15th - 16th century AD
Notes
During the rule of the Wattasids during the 9th and 10th centuries AH / 15th and 16th centuries AD, and coinciding with the progress of the Christian reconquest of Andalusia, Morocco found itself vulnerable to numerous Spanish and Portuguese attacks. In the year 875 AH / 1471 AD, the date of the Portuguese takeover of Tangier, and in the face of the weakness of the central authority, Sharif Moulay Ali Ibn Rashid, a descendant of Moulay Abd al-Salam Ibn Mashish, the great Moroccan ruler during the 6th century AH / 12 AD, and affiliated with the first Islamic Moroccan state, the Idrisid state, took the initiative to establish a fortified fortress for the purpose of protecting and defending the region of his birth in the Rif Mountains region. It became the fortress of Ibn Rashid. It was built for purposes related to jihad, as the headquarters of a true emirate, enjoying independent political authority whose influence extends beyond the borders of the Rif Mountains region. A new city was built, called Chefchaouen (“horns” in the Berber language, a word that refers to the shape of the mountain peaks that make up the surrounding areas), to the southwest of the Kasbah/Citadel and an Andalusian-Moroccan border, inside fortified walls, fortified by towers and interspersed with seven gates. The city developed and flourished after receiving part of successive waves of Andalusians, Muslims and Jews, expelled from Spain, after the Christian re-conquest in 1492 AD. The Kasbah, which was at the same time a permanent military camp and a princely residence, was equipped with a fortified wall with eleven towers, the main tower of which dates back to a recent period (the beginning of the AH 10th century / AD 16th century). This tower is arranged in a plan close to a square (7.70 x 7.40 metres), and includes two levels: - A lower floor, which is a hall with a side length of approximately 5 metres, with a central octagonal support on which four perpendicular semicircular arches rest, and is covered by a roof consisting of four low domes, built of brick on angled corners. - On the first floor, the space was divided into two rectangular halls, with wooden joists. Elongated, supported by a small jamb. The last level is occupied by a balcony equipped with a merloned parapet. The low and narrow door open on the facade opposite the main tower leads, through a winding corridor and a large hall 8.30 meters long and 4.00 meters wide, to the market. The construction of the old palace area in its current form, located in the northeastern corner of the Kasbah, dates back to a late period, and is currently occupied by a museum and a center for Andalusian studies. The Great Mosque, which was built next to the Kasbah, underwent expansion work in the AH 11th century / AD 17th century. With the exception of its main door, the building remains devoid of any decoration, and differs only from its minaret, which has the octagonal shape characteristic of northern Morocco. In addition to its defensive function and political role, the Chefchaouen Kasbah has formed throughout history a religious pole at the regional level, and even at the national level, as we count no less than 20 mosques, 28 zawiyas, and shrines, which makes it worthy of being called the Good City.
Sample Text
Kamal Lakhdar “Chefchaouen Kasbah” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;30;ar
