Funduq al-Najjarin (; also transliterated as Fondouk el-Nejjarine) is a historic '' funduq'' (a caravanserai or traditional inn) in

Fes el Bali Fes el Bali () is the oldest part of Fez, Morocco. It is one of the three main districts of Fez, along with Fes Jdid and the French protectorate in Morocco, French-created ''Ville Nouvelle (New City'). Together with Fes Jdid, it forms the Medina q ...

, the old

medina quarter A medina (from ) is a historical district in a number of North African cities, often corresponding to an old walled city. The term comes from the Arabic word simply meaning "city" or "town". Historical background Prior to the rise and intrusi ...

in the city of

Fez, Morocco Fez () or Fes (; ) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fez-Meknes, Fez-Meknes administrative region. It is one of the List of cities in Morocco, largest cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.256 million, according to ...

. The funduq is situated in the heart of the medina, at Al-Najjarin Square (also: Nejjarine Square or Place Nejjarine), which is also notable for the Nejjarine Fountain, an attached ''saqayya'' or traditional public fountain.Nejjarin Funduq
''Museum with no Frontiers''. Retrieved January 23, 2018. The building was designed for use by the merchants, traders, and visitors to the city of Fez and provided a storage place. Along with the fountains, the building forms one of the most remarkable urban architectural complexes in historic Fez. Today it houses a private museum, ''Le Musée Nejjarine des Arts et Métiers du Bois'' (Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts).

History

The name ''al-Najjarin'' (or the French

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → and → the digraph , Cyrillic → , Armenian → or L ...

''Nejjarine'', from ) means "

carpenters Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters trad ...

", a reference to the historic presence of a carpenters' '' souq'' (market) around the square in front of the funduq today. The souq is believed to have existed since the

Marinid The Marinid dynasty ( ) was a Berber Muslim dynasty that controlled present-day Morocco from the mid-13th to the 15th century and intermittently controlled other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula ...

era (1244-1465 CE). The funduq was commissioned by the ''amin'' (provost or magistrate) 'Adiyil in 1711, under the reign of the 'Alawi sultan

Ismail Ibn Sharif Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif (, – 22 March 1727) was a Sultan of Morocco from 1672 to 1727, as the second ruler of the 'Alawi dynasty. He was the seventh son of Sharif ibn Ali, Moulay Sharif and was governor of the province of Fez and the north o ...

. Another funduq founded in the same year (1711), the Funduq Sagha () in northern Fes el-Bali, also exhibits a very similar architecture and decorative style. The ''saqayya'' (fountain) attached to the Funduq al-Najjarin was commissioned in the 19th century by the Sultan

Abd al-Rahman Abdelrahman or Abd al-Rahman or Abdul Rahman or Abdurrahman or Abdrrahman ( or occasionally ; DMG ''ʿAbd ar-Raḥman'') is a male Arabic Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' ...

(ruled 1822–1859). Despite these developments from different dates, the various structures and the public square form an integrated whole in the local community. The building was originally used as a trading center,

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

(inn), and merchant warehouse associated closely with the

Makhzen Makhzen (, , ) is the governing institution in Morocco and in pre-1957 Tunisia, centered on the monarch and consisting of royal notables, top-ranking military personnel, landowners, security service bosses, civil servants and other well-connected ...

(the government or royal authorities). It likely continued to serve this function up until the beginning of the 20th century. Prior to colonial rule, a small number of rooms in the establishment were owned by some of the city's Jewish merchants. By the 19th century, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

for the city of Fez also existed between the funduq and the fountain, operating out of a small shop. The funduq was classified as a national historic monument in 1916 and was used as a police station by the French colonial authority in the 1940s. The building was restored between 1990 and 1996, and on May 23, 1998, it was reopened as a private museum for wood arts and crafts known as ''Le Musée Nejjarine des Arts et Métiers du Bois''.Funduq al-Najjariyyin
''Archnet''. Retrieved January 23, 2018.

Architecture

The funduq

The building is built on an almost symmetrical rectangular plan. The interior is accessed through a monumental entrance leading to a vestibule and a central courtyard. The entrance gate, 5 meters tall and 3 meters wide, is framed by a façade of rich floral and geometrical decorations and inscriptions in carved

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

and

tilework Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...

, and overlooked by an impressive carved

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

wood canopy. The carved or painted motifs include floral

arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foliate ...

s and Arabic epigraphy. The funduq is one of the few monumental buildings in Fez which has a complete exterior façade visible from the street. Inside, the building is centered around a main rectangular courtyard, as in other funduqs. This space is surrounded by a three-story gallery on all sides giving access to many different rooms. The galleries are fronted on the inner courtyard side by a balustrade of wooden arches and ''

mashrabiya A ''mashrabiya'' or ''mashrabiyya'' () is an architectural element which is characteristic of traditional Islamic architecture, architecture in the Islamic world and beyond. It is a type of projecting oriel window enclosed with carved wood latti ...

s''. The ground floor rooms were used to store merchandise, while accommodations for guests were located on the upper floors. File:Fes (5364757172).jpg, The portal and facade of the funduq File:Nejjarine Museum of Wood Arts and Crafts (4782208636).jpg, Details of the decoration of the portal File:Fes (5364113223).jpg, Gallery around the second floor File:Fes (5364119815).jpg, Gallery around the third (top) floor

The fountain

A s''aqayya'' is often constructed as a charitable structure, either on its own or attached to public buildings such as mosques, so as to provide locals and travelers with drinking water (similar to a '' sabil'' in other parts of the Islamic world). It constitutes an integral part of the complex around this funduq. The ''saqayya'' is placed in front of the building, facing the square. Its highly-decorated façade includes a geometric composition of ''

zellij Zellij (), 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 patterns on the basis of tessellations, ...

'' (mosaic tilework) framed by a

blind arch A blind arch is an arch found in the wall of a building that has been infilled with solid construction and so cannot serve as a passageway, door or window.''A Dictionary of Architecture''; Fleming, John; Honour, Hugh & Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966) ...

of carved stucco. The façade is bordered by two engaged columns and consoles that support an overhanging canopy of carved wood. File:Dar Tazi, Fes, Morocco - panoramio (3).jpg, View of the fountain File:Nejjarine Fountain (4782209670).jpg, Details of the fountain's decoration

Museum collection

The museum's collection of historic woodwork objects originates from across Morocco. It includes doors, musical instruments, and religious objects. Some were crafted in the more Andalusi-influenced style of Fez and others exemplify traditional

Amazigh Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connections are identified by their u ...

styles. One group of objects comprises wooden boards that were carved by students learning to recite the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

. A large metal scale on display in the courtyard is the original scale that was once used to measure the weight of traded goods.

References

Bibliography

*Hillenbrand, Robert. Islamic Architecture. NY: Columbia UP, 1994. 240–251. *Pickens et al. Maroc: Les Cites Imperiales. Paris: ACR Edition. 1995. {{Fes 17th-century establishments in Africa Buildings and structures in Fez, Morocco Museums in Morocco Tourist attractions in Fez, Morocco 'Alawi architecture Caravanserais in Morocco