Funduq al-Najjarin ( ar, فندق النجارين, lit=Inn of the carpenters) (also spelled ''Fondouk (el-)Nejjarine'') is a historic ''funduq'' (a

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes coverin ...

or traditional inn) in Fes el Bali, the old

medina quarter A medina (from ar, مدينة, translit=madīnah, lit=city) is a historical district in a number of North African cities, often corresponding to an old walled city. The term comes from the Arabic word simply meaning "city" or "town". Histori ...

in the city of

Fez, Morocco Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 m ...

. The funduq is situated in the heart of the medina, at Al-Najjarin Square (also: Nejjarine Square or Place Nejjarine), which is also notable for the Nejjarine Fountain, an attached '' saqayya'' or traditional public fountain. The building was designed for use by the merchants, traders, and visitors to the city of Fez and provided a storage place. It is a prominent example of Moroccan riad architecture. Today it houses a private museum, ''Le Musée Nejjarine des Arts et Métiers du Bois'' (Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts).

History

The name ''al-Najjarin'' (or the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

''Nejjarine''; ) means " carpenters", a reference to the historic presence of a carpenters' '' souq'' (market) around the square in front of the funduq today. The souq is believed to have existed since the

Marinid The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) ar ...

era (1244-1465 CE). The funduq was commissioned by the ''amin'' (provost or magistrate) 'Adiyil in 1711, under the reign of the Alaouite Sultan

Ismail Ibn Sharif Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif ( ar, مولاي إسماعيل بن الشريف), born around 1645 in Sijilmassa and died on 22 March 1727 at Meknes, was a Sultan of Morocco from 1672–1727, as the second ruler of the Alaouite dynasty. He was the ...

. Its attached saqayya (fountain) was commissioned in the 19th century by the Sultan

Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Rahman ( ar, عبد الرحمن, translit=ʿAbd al-Raḥmān or occasionally ; DMG ''ʿAbd ar-Raḥman''; also Abdul Rahman) is a male Arabic Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', '' ...

(ruled 1822–1859). Despite these developments from different dates, the various structures and the public square form an integrated whole in the local community. The building was originally used as a trading center,

(inn), and merchant warehouse associated closely with the

Makhzen Makhzen (Arabic: , Berber: ''Lmexzen'') is the governing institution in Morocco and in pre-1957 Tunisia, centered on the monarch and consisting of royal notables, top-ranking military personnel, landowners, security service bosses, civil servant ...

(the government or royal authorities). It likely continued to serve this function up until the beginning of the 20th century. Another funduq founded in the same year (1711), the Funduq Sagha () in northern Fes el-Bali, also exhibits a very similar architecture and decorative style. The funduq was classified as a national historic monument in 1916 and was used as a police station by the French colonial authority in the 1940s. The building was restored between 1990 and 1996, and on May 23, 1998, it was reopened as a private museum for wood arts and crafts known as ''Le Musée Nejjarine des Arts et Métiers du Bois''.Funduq al-Najjariyyin
''Archnet''. Retrieved January 23, 2018.

Architecture

The funduq

The building is built on an almost symmetrical rectangular plan. The interior is accessed through a monumental entrance leading to the lobby and the central courtyard or ''

sahn A ''sahn'' ( ar, صَحْن, '), is a courtyard in Islamic architecture, especially the formal courtyard of a mosque. Most traditional mosques have a large central ''sahn'', which is surrounded by a '' riwaq'' or arcade on all sides. In traditio ...

''. This gate, 5 meters tall and 3 meters wide, is framed by a facade of rich floral and geometrical decorations and inscriptions in

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

and

tilework Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wa ...

, and overlooked by an impressive carved cedar-wood canopy. The courtyard inside is rectangular and surrounded by a three-story

gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album * ''Gallery'' (G ...

on all sides giving access to many different rooms. Rooms for the guests were located on the upper floors. File:Fes (5364757172).jpg, The portal and facade of the funduq. File:Nejjarine Museum of Wood Arts and Crafts (4782208636).jpg, Details of the decoration of the portal. File:Fes (5364113223).jpg, Gallery around the second floor. File:Fes (5364119815).jpg, Gallery around the third (top) floor. File:FesNejjarineMuseumWood.jpg, Pieces of woodwork on display in the museum today.

The fountain

A s''aqayya'' is normally constructed as a part of the charity work and attached to the buildings such as mosque as an accessory (similar to a '' sabil'' in other parts of the Islamic world), but it constitutes an integral part of the structure for this funduq. The saqayya is placed in front of the building, facing the square. The water was used for drinking, especially for the guests of the hotel. It is enclosed by two columns and richly decorated by

zellij ''Zellij'' ( ar, الزليج, translit=zillīj; also spelled zillij or zellige) is a style of mosaic tilework made from individually hand-chiseled tile pieces. The pieces were typically of different colours and fitted together to form various pa ...

, stucco, and its own carved wooden canopy.Nejjarin Funduq
''Museum with no Frontiers''. Retrieved January 23, 2018. File:Dar Tazi, Fes, Morocco - panoramio (3).jpg, View of the fountain. File:Nejjarine Fountain (4782209670).jpg, Details of the fountain's decoration.

References

Bibliography

*Hillenbrand, Robert. Islamic Architecture. NY: Columbia UP, 1994. 240–251. *Pickens et al. Maroc: Les Cites Imperiales. Paris: ACR Edition. 1995. {{Fes 17th-century establishments in Africa Buildings and structures in Fez, Morocco Museums in Morocco Tourist attractions in Fez, Morocco 'Alawi architecture Caravanserais in Morocco