Funduq Sagha
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Funduq Sagha () (also spelled ''Fondouk Sagha'') is a historic ''funduq'' (a caravanserai or traditional inn) in
Fes el Bali Fes el Bali ( ar, فاس البالي, lit=Old Fes, ber, ⴼⴰⵙ ⴰⵇⴷⵉⵎ) is the oldest walled part of Fez, Morocco. Fes el Bali was founded as the capital of the Idrisid dynasty between 789 and 808 AD. UNESCO listed Fes el Bali, alon ...
, 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, Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the List of cities in Morocco, second largest city i ...
.


History

The funduq was built in 1711 CE (1123 AH) during the reign of 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
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 se ...
, probably by the initiative of powerful local merchants or officials. 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. 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. In the early 20th century, it was particularly known for the sale of
tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...
. The funduq recently underwent a major restoration between 2013 and 2017 within the framework of an initiative to rehabilitate 27 historic monuments in Fes. During the restoration process, archaeological excavations were also carried out and revealed the remains of
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 (13th-15th century) houses with ''
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 ...
'' decoration, some of whose foundations had been reused for the foundations of the funduq.


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'' ( ar, فندق النجارين, lit=Inn of the carpenters), which is used today as a museum and tourist attraction. Like the latter, it also faces a small square (known as ''Place Sagha'') which is equipped with an old fountain''.'' The funduq is entered via a monumental entrance portal decorated primarily with tilework painted with
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 ...
motifs and calligraphy. Above these tiles is a band of sculpted stucco decoration in traditional motifs, and above this a canopy of sculpted wood. Right above the summit of the doorway's arch is an
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
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."
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. The courtyard is ringed by a
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'' (Gr ...
which stretches across all three floors and whose pillars are adorned, in their upper parts, with more carved stucco decoration. This gallery in turn grants access to over two dozen rooms distributed across the three floors.


References

{{Fes 17th-century establishments in Africa Buildings and structures in Fez, Morocco Caravanserais in Morocco