Borj Sud () is a fort in the 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 ...
. It was first established around 1582 by the
Saadian dynasty, likely modeled after
Portuguese forts of the time. It is located on the hills overlooking the old city (
Fes el-Bali) from the south, across the valley from its sister fort,
Borj Nord, on the hills to the north of the city. Today it is also known as a prime lookout point over the old city.
Historical background
Like the Borj Nord, the fort was built in 1582 by the powerful Saadian sultan
Ahmad al-Mansour. The Saadians, whose capital was
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
, had faced notable resistance to their rule in Fez and the fort is one of several that they built around the city. They were intended to keep the restless population of
Fes el-Bali (the old city) under control as much as to actually defend the city from external attacks.
Accordingly, the forts were built in commanding positions overlooking the city, from which their canons could easily bombard the city if desired.
The Saadians built Borj Nord, Borj Sud, and three bastions along the south and east walls of
Fes el-Jdid to emulate Portuguese military architecture; a consequence of their wars to oust the Portuguese from Morocco.
Their construction was probably helped by the labour and expertise of European prisoners captured in the famous
Battle of the Three Kings
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and forc ...
in 1578.
These are the first and arguably only
fortresses in Fez designed for the new
age of gunpowder
Early modern warfare is the era of warfare following medieval warfare. It is associated with the start of the widespread use of gunpowder and the development of suitable weapons to use the explosive, including artillery and firearms; for this ...
.
See also
*
Marinid Tombs
References
{{Fes
Forts in Morocco
Buildings and structures in Fez, Morocco
16th-century fortifications
Saadian architecture