The Mausoleum of Mohammed V ( ar, ضريح محمد الخامس) is a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be cons ...

located across from the

Hassan Tower Hassan Tower or Tour Hassan ( ar, صومعة حسان; ) is the minaret of an incomplete mosque in Rabat, Morocco. It was commissioned by Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, the third Caliph of the Almohad Caliphate, near the end of the 12th century. The ...

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populatio ...

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 contains the tombs of the Moroccan king Mohammed V and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah.

History

The mausoleum complex was designed by

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

ese architect Cong Vo Toan using traditional forms with modern materials. The rich materials, as well as the deliberate use of historical crafts and motifs, is meant to not only pay tribute to Mohammed V but also to evoke his own efforts to encourage traditional craftsmanship as a means of promote a sense of Moroccan identity. Construction began in 1961 and involved renovations to the esplanade of the ruined

Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fou ...

-era mosque to which the Hassan Tower belonged. Construction was completed in 1971 and Mohammed V's body was transferred here that same year. His son Abdallah was buried here in 1983. Hassan II was buried here in 1999.

Description

The mausoleum stands on an elevated platform at the southeastern corner of the esplanade. It is a rectangular structure made in reinforced concrete covered with white marble on the exterior. The exterior is marked by

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

s of Moorish arches and a pyramidal green roof. The arches are also polylobed and the wall surfaces above them are carved with a characteristic Moroccan '' sebka'' motif. Inside, the mausoleum chamber is covered by a dome of

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus '' Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: U ...

wood with coloured glass, while the walls are covered in ''

zellij ''Zellij'' ( ar, الزليج, translit=zillīj; also spelled zillij or zellige) is a style of mosaic tilework made from individually hand-chiseled tile pieces. The pieces were typically of different colours and fitted together to form various pa ...

'' tiling. Some elements are finished with chased

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

. The cenotaph of Mohammed V is carved in white

onyx Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The ...

and was made by craftsman Ibn Abdelkrim. A reader of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...

is often present, having his assigned seat. To the west, across from the mausoleum and at the southwestern corner of the ancient mosque, is another structure on an elevated platform: a rectangular open-air pavilion with rows of arches which was designed as a museum for the

Alaouite dynasty The Alawi dynasty ( ar, سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين, translit=sulālat al-ʿalawiyyīn al-fīlāliyyīn) – also rendered in English as Alaouite, Alawid, or Alawite – is the current Moroccan royal family and reigning ...

. The space between these two structures is filled by an accompanying mosque which was also built as part of the complex. The mosque is situated at a lower level in order to not obstruct the view of the other two structures. Its

hypostyle In architecture, a hypostyle () hall has a roof which is supported by columns. Etymology The term ''hypostyle'' comes from the ancient Greek ὑπόστυλος ''hypóstȳlos'' meaning "under columns" (where ὑπό ''hypó'' means below or un ...

interior is divided between a men's and a women's section and includes a marble-paved courtyard (''

sahn A ''sahn'' ( ar, صَحْن, '), is a courtyard in Islamic architecture, especially the formal courtyard of a mosque. Most traditional mosques have a large central ''sahn'', which is surrounded by a '' riwaq'' or arcade on all sides. In traditi ...

'').

Gallery

File:Rabat Mausole MohammedV.jpg, Mausoleum of Mohammed V seen through the mosque ruins File:Entrance-to-the-Mausoleum-of-Mohammed-V.jpg, Entrance to the mausoleum File:Guard-at-the-Mausoleum-of-Mohammed V.jpg, Columns and portico around the mausoleum, with royal guard File:Inside Mohammed V mausoleum.jpg, Interior of the mausoleum with a

reader File:Mausoleum von König Mohammed V. (27963668267).jpg, The interior dome of the mausoleum File:Tile-detail-at-Mausoleum-of-Mohammed.jpg, Details of interior decoration in the mausoleum File:Rabat 54DSC 0717 (28959409218).jpg, The mosque attached to the mausoleum File:Fountain-at-Mausoleum-of-Mohammed.jpg, Fountain in the façade of the complex File:Mausoleum of Mohammed V - 2018 6.jpg, The western pavilion

References

Buildings and structures completed in 1971 Buildings and structures in Rabat Mohammed V Burial sites of the 'Alawi dynasty {{Rabat