Henri Terrasse (Vrigny-aux-Bois, 8 August 1895 –
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
, 11 October 1971)
was a French
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
,
archeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...
, and
orientalist who specialized in the art and history of the
Islamic world
The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...
and of
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 to ...
in particular.
Biography
Terrasse was born in France in 1895. In 1921 he emigrated to the
French protectorate of Morocco
The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...
, where he taught first at the ''Collège Moulay Youssef''.
In 1923 he became professor at the important ''Institut des Hautes Etudes Marocaines'' in
Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...
, where he collaborated with French orientalist
Henri Basset for a series of studies on
Almohad
The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the Tawhid, unity of God) was a North African Berbers, Berber M ...
mosques.
In 1932 he defended a thesis for the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
on "Hispano-Moorish" art up to the Almohad period.
In 1935 he was appointed the director of the ''Service des Monuments historiques du Maroc'', an agency under the French Protectorate which inspected and managed historic monuments and antiquities in the country.
In this job he dedicated himself to the conservation and restoration of Morocco's historical heritage and published several important monographs on specific monuments such as the
Mosque of the Andalusians
The Mosque of the Andalusians or Al-Andalusiyyin Mosque ( ar, جامع الأندلسيين, Jama' al-Andalusiyyin; ), sometimes also called the Andalusian Mosque, is a major historic mosque in Fes el Bali, the old medina quarter of Fez, Morocco ...
in
Fez
Fez most often refers to:
* Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire
* Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco
Fez or FEZ may also refer to:
Media
* ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...
and the
Great Mosque of Taza
The Great Mosque of Taza ( Berber: ⵎⵙⵀⵉⵜⴰ ⴰⵎⵇⵔⴰⵏ, ) is the most important religious building in the historic medina of Taza, Morocco. Founded in the 12th century, it is the oldest surviving example of Almohad architecture ...
.
In 1941 he was promoted from professor to director of the ''Institut des Hautes Etudes Marocaines''.
In 1945 he also succeeded
Georges Marçais
Georges Marçais ( Rennes, 11 March 1876 – Paris, 20 May 1962) was a French orientalist, historian, and scholar of Islamic art and architecture who specialized in the architecture of North Africa.
Biography
He initially trained as a painter ...
as the chair of Islamic archeology at the University of
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
.
In 1957, shortly after Moroccan independence from France, he moved to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
to become director of the ''
Casa de Velázquez
The ''Casa de Velázquez'' is a French school in Spain modelled on the Villa Médicis in Rome, and Villa Abd-el-Tif in Algeria.''75 aniversario de la Casa de Velázquez. Memoria gráfica 1928-2003'', Madrid, Casa de Velázquez, 2006, 182 p. - ac ...
'' in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, before retiring in 1965.
His last major publication was a detailed study of the architectural history of the
Qarawiyyin Mosque
The University of al-Qarawiyyin ( ar, جامعة القرويين; ber, ⵜⴰⵙⴷⴰⵡⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵇⴰⵕⴰⵡⵉⵢⵉⵏ; french: Université Al Quaraouiyine), also written Al-Karaouine or Al Quaraouiyine, is a university located in ...
in Fez.
He died in 1971.
Academic contributions
The ''Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture'' describes Terrasse's work as the foundation of the
art history
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
of Islamic-era Morocco and the surrounding region, although it notes that his work is "sometimes characterized by misconceptions typical of the French colonial school of scholarship, such as the dichotomous interpretation of Moroccan history into
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
and
Berber cultures".
Along with
Georges Marçais
Georges Marçais ( Rennes, 11 March 1876 – Paris, 20 May 1962) was a French orientalist, historian, and scholar of Islamic art and architecture who specialized in the architecture of North Africa.
Biography
He initially trained as a painter ...
, Terrasse was instrumental in establishing the modern study of the "western Islamic world" as a cultural and artistic region spanning across both western
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
(the
Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...
) and
al-Andalus
Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...
(the Islamic period of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
).
Similarly,
Jonathan Bloom
Jonathan Max Bloom (born April 7, 1950) is an American art historian and educator. Bloom has served as the dual Norma Jean Calderwood University Professor of Islamic and Asian Art at Boston College, along with his wife, Sheila Blair.
Career
Bl ...
characterized him, along with Marçais, as one of the most important foundational scholars in the study of
western Islamic architecture
Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus (on the Iberian Peninsula, Iberian peninsula) and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia (part of the Maghreb). The ...
.
Selected publications
* ''Les Arts décoratifs au Maroc'' (Paris, 1923) – with J. Hainaut
* “Sanctuaires et forteresses almohades,” ''Hespéris'', IV (1924), pp. 9–91 and 181–203; V (1925), pp. 311–76; VI (1926), pp. 102–270; VII (1927), pp. 117–71 and 287–345; also published as ''Sanctuaires et forteresses almohades'' (Paris, 1932; republished again in 2001) – with Henri Basset
* ''L’Art hispano–mauresque des origines au XIIIe siècle'' (Paris, 1932)
* ''La Mosquée des Andalous a Fès'' (Paris, 1942)
* ''La Grande Mosquée de Taza'' (Paris, 1943)
* ''L’Histoire du Maroc depuis les origines jusqu’au protectorat français'' (Casablanca, 1949–50)
* ''Recherches archéologiques à Marrakech'' (Paris, 1952) – with Jacques Meunié
* ''Nouvelles Recherches archéologiques à Marrakech'' (Paris, 1957) – with Jacques Meunié
* ''La Mosquée al-Qaraouiyin à Fès'' (Paris, 1968)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terrasse, Henri
1895 births
1971 deaths
French orientalists
French academics
Academic staff of the University of Algiers
French emigrants to Morocco