Madrasa of Abu al-Hasan

The Madrasa of Abu al-Hasan, also referred to as the Marinid Madrasa (of Salé), is a medieval madrasa located within the old city of Salé, Morocco. It was built in the 14th century by the Marinid sultan Abu al-Hasan next to the Grand Mosque of Salé and it is notable for its rich decoration.Kubisch, Natascha (2011). "Maghreb - Architecture" in Hattstein, Markus and Delius, Peter (eds.) ''Islam: Art and Architecture''. h.f.ullmann.

History

According to an inscription on the wooden canopy of the entrance portal, construction of the madrasa began in 1332–1333 on the orders of the Marinid sultan Abu al-Hasan (r. 1331–1348), who was also responsible for founding multiple other madrasas and religious complexes in his reign. Construction was finished in 1341–1342, as recorded by a foundation inscription carved on a marble plaque in the northwestern gallery of the courtyard. The madrasa was built to help further develop the nearby Great Mosque of Salé as the focus of religious and intellectual life in the city.

Architecture

The madrasa is entered through an ornate stone portal with a horseshoe arch doorway. This entrance leads to a small vestibule, from which a staircase on the side leads to the upper floor. Beyond the vestibule, one enters sideways into the corner of the central courtyard, which is measures about 8 by 5 meters. The courtyard is paved with ''zellij'' tilework, features a small central fountain, and is ringed by a gallery of round masonry columns that uphold stucco and wood-carved decorated facades. The spaces between the gallery columns and the outer wall of the courtyard are covered by painted wood ceilings carved into geometric star patterns, one part of which has been restored to its approximate original colours. The whole building, like the nearby Grand Mosque, is aligned or oriented with the ''qibla'' (direction of prayer) of the time (i.e. roughly southeast). Accordingly, at the far end of the courtyard is a large rectangular prayer room featuring a ''mihrab'' (a niche symbolizing the direction of prayer), around which are more intricate stucco-carved surfaces and windows. The room is divided into three spaces by arches on either side of the mihrab and covered by more timber ceilings. The upper floor is occupied by the student cells and living quarters. Unlike other madrasas of this type, the students' rooms do not have windows looking into the courtyard.

Possibly even more than other Marinid madrasas, this building shows similarities with Nasrid art and architecture (e.g. the palaces of the Alhambra), attesting to the shared artistic vocabulary between the two regions. The decoration consists of ''zellij'' tilework covering the floor and the lower walls, transitioning into intricately carved stucco decoration above, and topped by carved cedar wood surfaces and a wooden canopy above. Both the wood and the stucco are carved with calligraphic decoration and with a variable repertoire of geometric, arabesque, and floral/vegetal patterns. A rectangular marble panel carved with a foundation inscription of the building was originally set into the northwestern wall of the courtyard (opposite the mihrab and the prayer room).
File:Salé Madrasa DSCF6823.jpg, The entrance portal of the madrasa
File:Salé Madrasa DSCF6663.jpg, The courtyard of the madrasa, looking northwest
File:Merinide Medrassa.jpg, The courtyard and fountain of the madrasa, looking southeast towards the ''mihrab''
File:Détails arabesques salé.jpg, Stucco and wood carvings on one of the lateral galleries of the courtyard
File:Déco plafond médersa de salé.jpg, A restored painted wooden ceiling under one of the courtyard galleries
File:Inside Meridine Medrassa of Salé.jpg, The ''mihrab'' of the prayer room
File:Cellules des étudiants à la médersa de salé.jpg, The student cells on the upper floor

References

External Links

Images of Abu al-Hasan Madrasa
in Manar al-Athar digital photo archive resource
{{Rabat
Madrasas in Morocco
Marinid architecture
Buildings and structures in Salé