Bab er-Rouah
| Bab er-Rouah | |
|---|---|
باب الرواح | |
Almohad, Moroccan | |
| Location | Rabat |
Bab er-Rouah (also spelled Bab er-Ruwah or Bab Rouah) is a monumental gate in the Almohad-era ramparts of Rabat, Morocco.
History
It was built by the Almohad
The entrance archway of the gate today is smaller than it was originally because it has been partly filled-in with smaller stones.
Today the gate's interior has been converted into an art gallery. It was recently renovated in 2000–2001.[2]
Architecture
The gate is notable for its defensive structure as well as for its rich stone-carved decoration which is comparable to other monumental Almohad gates such as
The decoration of the gate's outer façade includes three concentric semi-circles carved with polylobed and radiating motifs, which are in turn framed inside a rectangular alfiz. The two ends of the innermost semi-circle, at the spring of the arch, are carved into "S"-like serpentine forms which are also seen at Bab Oudaia but very rarely elsewhere.[3][5] The spandrels between in the corners within this alfiz are carved with arabesque vegetal motifs in at the center of which is a carved seashell. The frame of the alfiz itself contains an Arabic inscription in Kufic script featuring a Qur'anic verse, translated as the following:[3]
Be a community that calls for what is good, urges what is right, and forbids what is wrong: those who do this are the successful ones. Do not be like those who, after they have been given clear revelation, split into factions and fall into disputes: a terrible punishment awaits such people.
— Qur'an, 3:104-5
The gate's interior passage passes through four chambers and turns 90 degrees four times, constituting a complex bent entrance typical of Almohad military architecture.[7][3] One of the chambers was originally open from above (but is sheltered by a roof today) so that the defenders could throw projectiles onto any attackers entering the gate.[3] The inner façade of the gate, facing towards the city, is more simply decorated with a single polylobed semi-circle carved around the horseshoe archway, which is framed by a wide band filled with a sebka pattern.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-3902782311.
- ^ a b "Bab Rouah". Archnet. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ ISBN 9780300218701.
- ^ Deverdun, Gaston (1959). Marrakech: Des origines à 1912. Rabat: Éditions Techniques Nord-Africaines.
- ^ a b Salmon, Xavier (2018). Maroc Almoravide et Almohade: Architecture et décors au temps des conquérants, 1055-1269. Paris: LienArt.
- ^ Bennison, Amira K. (2016). The Almoravid and Almohad Empires. Edinburgh University Press.
- ^ Marçais, Georges (1954). L'architecture musulmane d'Occident. Paris: Arts et métiers graphiques.