Bab Semmarine () is the monumental southern

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...

of Fes el-Jdid, a part of the old city of Fez,

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 A ...

History

The original gate at this location was initially called ''Bab 'Oyun Sanhaja'' ("Gate of the (water) Sources of the

Sanhaja The Sanhaja ( ber, Aẓnag, pl. Iẓnagen, and also Aẓnaj, pl. Iẓnajen; ar, صنهاجة, ''Ṣanhaja'' or زناگة ''Znaga'') were once one of the largest Berber tribal confederations, along with the Zanata and Masmuda confederations. Man ...

"). The current name, Bab Semmarine, means "Gate of the Farriers" and refers to the shops of

farriers A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjus ...

which used to be located nearby. The gate was part of the original foundation of Fes el-Jdid by 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 ...

sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

Abu Yusuf Ya'qub in 1276, who built the city as a new royal capital separate from Fes el-Bali. The city was highly fortified, featuring a double set of walls on its eastern side facing the old city, which may have indicated a certain level of wariness by the Marinid sultans towards the local population. Bab Semmarine was originally the southern entrance to the city, but at some later point another district (later occupied by the Jewish ''Mellah'') was created on its southern side, thus placing it inside the perimeter of the city walls. The gate was the starting point for the main souq street, today called the ''Grande Rue'' ("Great Street"), leading towards the entrance of the Dar al-Makhzen (Royal Palace) in the north. The district to the east of this street, near the gate, used to be occupied entirely by grain silos and warehouses, which were only later progressively replaced by residential structures. The gate was heavily modified or entirely rebuilt in 1924, during the French colonial administration, when it was adapted for greater traffic flow.

Architecture

Originally, the gate had a

bent entrance A bent or indirect entrance is a defensive feature in medieval fortification.Adrian Boas, On a Necessary Vulnerability, https://www.adrianjboas.com/post/on-a-necessary-vulnerability In a castle with a bent entrance, the gate passage is narrow and ...

: its interior passage turned 90 degrees multiple times. This was a common defensive feature in medieval Moroccan gates and medieval military architecture elsewhere. However, as part of modifications in the early 20th century the interior walls of this passage were opened up to allow more traffic, including vehicle traffic, to pass through more easily. As a result, today the gate now has a double entrance with multiple archways across the space of the former passage. The original entrance of the gate, flanked by defensive towers on either side, is on the left when facing it from the south (from the outer side). The gate's outer facade is decorated with blind polylobed arches and with a rectangular outline with the '' darj-wa-ktaf'' motif (a Moroccan motif vaguely resembling the fleur-de-lys or

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 ...

). Inside the gate's passage there is also a side door which opens to another passage which runs westwards along the old walls and which historically gave direct access to the royal palace. On the other side, also reached from inside, is a large vaulted market hall which was also rebuilt in the 20th century in the style of the Marinid

granaries A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals ...

which formerly stood here. File:Bab Semmarine.jpg, The outer facade of the gate, today with a double entrance. File:Inner walls of Fez Jedid. Bab Semmarine.jpg, The inner facade of the gate. File:Entrance to Fez el-Jdid - Old Jewish Quarter - Fez - Morocco.jpg, The interior of the gate, which is now a direct passage but which was once a

References

{{Fes Gates of Fez, Morocco Marinid architecture