Bab Oudaya
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Bab Oudaya (also spelled Bab Oudaia or Bab Udaya; ), also known as Bab Lakbir or Bab al-Kabir (), is the monumental gate of the
Kasbah of the Udayas The Kasbah of the Udayas (; Berber: ⵇⵙⴱⴰ ⵏ ⵉⵡⴷⴰⵢⵏ ''Qasbat ‘n Iwdayn''), also spelled Kasbah of the Oudaias or of the Oudayas, is a kasbah (citadel) in Rabat, Morocco. It is located on a hill at the mouth of the Bou Regre ...
in Rabat,
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
. The gate, built in the late 12th century, is located at the northwest corner of the Kasbah, uphill from the
medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...
of Rabat. It is often cited as one of most beautiful gates of
Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fou ...
and
Moroccan architecture Moroccan architecture refers to the architecture characteristic of Morocco throughout its history and up to modern times. The country's diverse geography and long history, marked by successive waves of settlers through both migration and military ...
.


Historical background

In 1150 or 1151 the Almohad
caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
Abd al-Mu'min Abd al Mu'min (c. 1094–1163) ( ar, عبد المؤمن بن علي or عبد المومن الــكـومي; full name: ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAlwī ibn Yaʿlā al-Kūmī Abū Muḥammad) was a prominent member of the Almohad mov ...
built a new
kasbah A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term ''alca ...
(citadel) over the site of a former Almoravid ribat on the southwest shore of the Bou Regreg River, within which he included a palace and a mosque. His successor,
Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb ibn Yūsuf ibn Abd al-Muʾmin al-Manṣūr (; c. 1160 – 23 January 1199 Marrakesh), commonly known as Yaqub al-Mansur () or Moulay Yacoub (), was the third Almohad Caliph. Succeeding his father, al-Mansur reigned from 118 ...
(ruled 1184–1199), embarked on a huge project to construct a new fortified imperial capital, called ''al-Mahdiyya'' or ''Ribat al-Fath'', on the site of what is now the old city of Rabat, with new walls extending over a vast area beyond the old kasbah. This project also included the construction of an enormous mosque (the remains of which include the
Hassan Tower Hassan Tower or Tour Hassan ( ar, صومعة حسان; ) is the minaret of an incomplete mosque in Rabat, Morocco. It was commissioned by Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, the third Caliph of the Almohad Caliphate, near the end of the 12th century. The ...
) and of new grand gateways including ''
Bab er-Rouah Bab er-Rouah (also spelled Bab er-Ruwah or Bab Rouah) is a monumental City gate, gate in the Almohad Caliphate, Almohad-era ramparts of Rabat, Morocco. History It was built by the Almohad Caliphate, caliph Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, Ya'qub al- ...
.'' At the Kasbah, Al-Mansur added a monumental new gate, ''Bab al-Kbir'', which was inserted into the previous walls of the kasbah built by
Abd al-Mu'min Abd al Mu'min (c. 1094–1163) ( ar, عبد المؤمن بن علي or عبد المومن الــكـومي; full name: ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAlwī ibn Yaʿlā al-Kūmī Abū Muḥammad) was a prominent member of the Almohad mov ...
around 1150. The gate was built some time between 1195 and 1199. After Abu Yusuf Ya'qub's death in 1199 the mosque and the capital remained unfinished and his successors lacked the resources or the will to finish it. The kasbah itself became essentially abandoned. The name "Oudaya" or "Oudaia", which is now associated with the Kasbah, dates from the 19th century, after the Udayas tribe, a '' guich'' tribe ("Army" tribe serving in the sultan's military) that was expelled from Fez by the
Alaouite The Alawi dynasty ( ar, سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين, translit=sulālat al-ʿalawiyyīn al-fīlāliyyīn) – also rendered in English as Alaouite, Alawid, or Alawite – is the current Moroccan royal family and reigning d ...
sultan Abd ar-Rahman in the late 18th century and whose remnants then settled in the kasbah.


Architecture

The gate has both an outer façade (facing southeast towards the city) and an inner façade (facing northeast onto the Street of the Mosque), both richly decorated. The massive gate was largely ceremonial and had little defensive value, given its position already inside the city walls; unlike ''
Bab er-Rouah Bab er-Rouah (also spelled Bab er-Ruwah or Bab Rouah) is a monumental City gate, gate in the Almohad Caliphate, Almohad-era ramparts of Rabat, Morocco. History It was built by the Almohad Caliphate, caliph Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, Ya'qub al- ...
'', the ornate western gate in Rabat's city walls, built around the same time, it was not flanked by true defensive towers. The carved decoration around the
horseshoe arch The horseshoe arch (; Spanish: "arco de herradura"), also called the Moorish arch and the keyhole arch, is an emblematic arch of Islamic architecture, especially Moorish architecture. Horseshoe arches can take rounded, pointed or lobed form. Hi ...
entrance features a curved band of interlacing geometric forms (specifically, a pattern known as ''
darj wa ktaf ''Sebka'' () refers to a type of decorative motif used in western Islamic ("Moorish") architecture and Mudéjar architecture. History and description Various types of interlacing rhombus-like motifs are heavily featured on the surfaces of ...
,'' commonly seen in Moroccan architecture), set inside a rectangular frame outlined by a
Qur'anic The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
inscription
frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
in
Kufic Kufic script () is a style of Arabic script that gained prominence early on as a preferred script for Quran transcription and architectural decoration, and it has since become a reference and an archetype for a number of other Arabic scripts. It ...
Arabic script. The inscription includes the Surat
As-Saff Battle Array ( ar, الصف, ''aṣ-Ṣaff'', aka "The Ranks") is the 61st chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 14 verses ('' āyāt''). This sura is an Al-Musabbihat sura because it begins with the glorification of Allah. Summary *1 All things ...
(61:9-13), which contains references to '' jihad'', as befitting the kasbah's role as a symbol of Almohad military might. In the corners between this curved band and the inscription are carved
arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...
or floral patterns with a
palmette The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art o ...
or scallop shell at their middle, and above these is another carved frieze of palmettes. Further above all this is another band of geometric carving, at either side of which are two ornate corbels, set above decorative
engaged column In architecture, an engaged column is a column embedded in a wall and partly projecting from the surface of the wall, sometimes defined as semi- or three-quarter detached. Engaged columns are rarely found in classical Greek architecture, and then ...
s, which probably once supported a shallow roof or canopy covered in green tiles. At both corners of the horseshoe arch (at the bottom of the curved band of geometric carvings) are serpentine "S"-like forms, probably representing
eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
s, which are a very rare motif in Almohad or Moroccan architecture. The external façade of the inner gate, facing towards the kasbah, has carved decoration very similar to that of the outer gate, but with minor differences in the choice of geometric forms. Inside, the gate has three chambers which form a bent passage: two square chambers covered by domes and a third chamber covered by a barrel vault. Entering through the main outer gate, each chamber is reached by a short flight of stairs. The second chamber opens to the inner gate, while the third chamber (rarely open to visitors) can be accessed by a smaller doorway from the second chamber. The archways inside the two first chambers feature decorative geometric carvings similar to the outline of the outer gates, but without the rest of the extensive decoration around them. File:Bab Oudaia2.jpg, The outer façade of the gate File:Bab Oudaia3.jpg, Details of the outer façade File:Bab el Kébir1.JPG, The
eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
motif at the base of the arches File:Bab oudaia interior.jpg, The chambers inside the gate (seen at night) File:Bab oudaia inner facade.jpg, The inner façade of the gate File:Bab oudaia inner facade details.jpg, Details of the inner façade of the gate


References


External Links


Images of Bab Udaya
in Manar al-Athar digital photo archive {{Authority control Almohad architecture Gates in Morocco Buildings and structures in Rabat