Funduq Sagha

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The lower part of the entrance portal of the building (before recent restorations)

Funduq Sagha (Arabic: فندق الصاغة‎, lit. 'inn of the goldsmiths') (also spelled Fondouk Sagha) is a historic funduq (a caravanserai or traditional inn) in Fes el Bali, the old medina quarter in the city of Fez, Morocco.

History[]

The funduq was built in 1711 CE (1123 AH) during the reign of the Alaouite Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif, probably by the initiative of powerful local merchants or officials.[1][2][3] Like other buildings of its type, it served as a center of commercial activity and merchant dealings, and became one of the most important ones in Fes.[4]: 280  The ground floor of the building was devoted exclusively to commercial activities, while the upper floors were taken up by artisan workshops and used for the storage of merchandise.[1] In the early 20th century, it was particularly known for the sale of tea.[1][2] The funduq recently underwent a major restoration between 2013 and 2017 within the framework of an initiative to rehabilitate 27 historic monuments in Fes.[2][1] During the restoration process, archaeological excavations were also carried out and revealed the remains of Marinid-era (13th-15th century) houses with zellij decoration, some of whose foundations had been reused for the foundations of the funduq.[1]

Architecture[]

The architecture of the Funduq Sagha is very similar to that of another funduq founded in the same year (1711), the Funduq an-Najjariyyin (Arabic: فندق النجارين‎, lit. 'Inn of the carpenters'), which is used today as a museum and tourist attraction.[3] Like the latter, it also faces a small square (known as Place Sagha) which is equipped with an old fountain.[3][5] The funduq is entered via a monumental entrance portal decorated primarily with tilework painted with arabesque motifs and calligraphy. Above these tiles is a band of sculpted stucco decoration in traditional motifs, and above this a canopy of sculpted wood.[1][3] Right above the summit of the doorway's arch is an Arabic inscription in tilework which records the date of the building's foundation:

.الحمد لله وحده والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده، وضع هذا الباب المبارک عام ثلاثة و مائة وألف وعشرون "Praise to God only, may God bless the one after whom there will be no more prophets. This blessed door was built in the year 1123."[1]: 209 

Inside, the building is centered around a large courtyard with a disposition similar to the interior of the Funduq al-Najjariyyin. The building has three floors (including the ground floor). On the southern wall of the ground floor, opposite the entrance, is a monumental decorative niche covered in zellij, carved stucco, and sculpted wood, reminiscent of decorated street fountains.[3] The courtyard is ringed by a gallery which stretches across all three floors and whose pillars are adorned, in their upper parts, with more carved stucco decoration.[1][3] This gallery in turn grants access to over two dozen rooms distributed across the three floors.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h El Idrissi El Omari, Mouhcine; Laoukili, Montaser; Akasbi, Mounir (2017). "Fouilles archéologiques à Funduq Ṣāgha à Fès: Éléments pour une lecture de l'urbanisme de la ville". Hespéris-Tamuda. LII (3): 209–227.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "La magnifique rénovation des 27 monuments de Fès – Conseil Régional du Tourisme (CRT) de Fès" (in French). Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Touri, Abdelaziz; Benaboud, Mhammad; Boujibar El-Khatib, Naïma; Lakhdar, Kamal; Mezzine, Mohamed (2010). Le Maroc andalou : à la découverte d'un art de vivre (2 ed.). Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Royaume du Maroc & Museum With No Frontiers. ISBN 978-3902782311.
  4. ^ Le Tourneau, Roger (1949). Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman. Casablanca: Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition.
  5. ^ Parker, Richard (1981). A practical guide to Islamic Monuments in Morocco. Charlottesville, VA: The Baraka Press. p. 147.

Coordinates: 34°03′58″N 4°58′28.4″W / 34.06611°N 4.974556°W / 34.06611; -4.974556

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