Merenid Tombs, Fes, Morocco
The Merenid Tombs refers to the ruins of monumental tombs on a hill above and north of Fes al-Bali, the old city of Fez, Morocco. Today, they are also a popular lookout point over the historic city.
There is sparse information available on the site and its history. However, the ruined tombs are believed to date from the 14th century, during the Merenid dynasty (13th-15th centuries), hence their name. The Merenids conquered Fez in 1250 (CE) and turned it into their capital, most notably building a new fortified palace city (Fes el-Jdid) in 1276 alongside the existing old city (Fes el-Bali).
Starting in 1287, they also built a palace and a mosque on the hill just outside the city walls to the north, overlooking the heart of the old city. This hill was known as al-Qula, and today simply as the "Hill of the Marinids". Eventually, a royal necropolis was also constructed on the site.
Up until the middle of the 14th century the Marinid dynasty buried its members in the royal necropolis at Chellah, outside Rabat. The sultan Abu Inan, however, was interred in the Grand Mosque of Fes el-Jdid upon his death in 1358 and after this his successors were buried in the necropolis on the al-Qula hill. They continued to be interred here up until the demise of the dynasty. To this day, no rigorous archaeological excavations have yet been carried out on the site of the tombs.
The site was probably once enclosed by a wall, giving it the form of a rawda, an enclosed funerary garden or private cemetery in the Islamic tradition. Behind (or north of) the two mausoleums are the ruins of another small domed building, or qoubba, that may have been part of the necropolis. The hillsides around the tombs are occupied by the sprawling Bab Guissa Cemetery, though the graves visible today are likely much more recent.
Today the site is perhaps best known as a lookout with panoramic views over the old city of Fez, popular at sunset. It is also a notable place to hear the call to prayer (adhan) broadcasting simultaneously from all the mosques in the old city.
Merenid Tombs, Fes, Morocco
The Merenid Tombs refers to the ruins of monumental tombs on a hill above and north of Fes al-Bali, the old city of Fez, Morocco. Today, they are also a popular lookout point over the historic city.
There is sparse information available on the site and its history. However, the ruined tombs are believed to date from the 14th century, during the Merenid dynasty (13th-15th centuries), hence their name. The Merenids conquered Fez in 1250 (CE) and turned it into their capital, most notably building a new fortified palace city (Fes el-Jdid) in 1276 alongside the existing old city (Fes el-Bali).
Starting in 1287, they also built a palace and a mosque on the hill just outside the city walls to the north, overlooking the heart of the old city. This hill was known as al-Qula, and today simply as the "Hill of the Marinids". Eventually, a royal necropolis was also constructed on the site.
Up until the middle of the 14th century the Marinid dynasty buried its members in the royal necropolis at Chellah, outside Rabat. The sultan Abu Inan, however, was interred in the Grand Mosque of Fes el-Jdid upon his death in 1358 and after this his successors were buried in the necropolis on the al-Qula hill. They continued to be interred here up until the demise of the dynasty. To this day, no rigorous archaeological excavations have yet been carried out on the site of the tombs.
The site was probably once enclosed by a wall, giving it the form of a rawda, an enclosed funerary garden or private cemetery in the Islamic tradition. Behind (or north of) the two mausoleums are the ruins of another small domed building, or qoubba, that may have been part of the necropolis. The hillsides around the tombs are occupied by the sprawling Bab Guissa Cemetery, though the graves visible today are likely much more recent.
Today the site is perhaps best known as a lookout with panoramic views over the old city of Fez, popular at sunset. It is also a notable place to hear the call to prayer (adhan) broadcasting simultaneously from all the mosques in the old city.