The R'cif Mosque (; also transliterated as ''R'sif'', ''Ercif'', ''er-Rsif'', or ''Rasif'') is a

Friday mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.See: * * * * ...

in Fes el-Bali, the old city (

medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

) of Fez,

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. It has one of the tallest

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

s in the city and overlooks Place R'cif in the heart of the medina.

Location and name

The mosque is located just west of Place R'cif, a large public square created in the 20th century to provide easier access to the interior of the medina (it is one of the only places inside the medina that can be reached by car). Its name means "Mosque of the Paved Road". It was built on a cliffside along the shore of the Bou Khrareb River (''Oued Bou Khrareb'') which passes through the center of the city, though the river is now hidden underground between Place R'Cif and the south edge of the city. The mosque is also near the central souqs (markets) of the city, stretching downhill from the Qarawiyyin area.

History

Construction

The mosque was built in the 18th century during the reign of the

Alaouite The Alawi dynasty () – also rendered in English as Alaouite, Alawid, or Alawite – is the current Moroccan royal family and reigning dynasty. They are an Arab Sharifian dynasty and claim descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his ...

sultan Moulay Slimane (1792-1822). (Although some authors attribute it to the reign of Moulay Mohammed bin Abdallah between 1757 and 1790.) It is recorded that Moulay Slimane commissioned two marble fountains and a marble water basin which were placed in the mosque's courtyard (''

sahn A ''sahn'' (, '), 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 (arcade), riwaq'' or arcade (architecture), arcade on ...

'') in 1797. The sultan's architect in charge of these works was al-Hassan al-Soudani.

Role in the 1937 protests

The mosque was a prominent rallying point during the riots and protests that occurred across multiple Moroccan cities in late 1937 against the French Protectorate authorities. The protests were sparked by food shortages which threatened local tribes, dispossessed of their best lands by the French, with starvation. They were exacerbated by the French authorities' violent suppression of protests in Meknes (near Fes), killing 13 people and injuring more. Not long after, protests spread to Fes. Crowds of demonstrators used the R'cif and Qarawiyyin Mosques as gathering points before marching out into the city, with 1500 marching from the R'cif mosque alone. On October 28, French authorities sent troops to occupy the entire medina, including the mosques. This resulted in a confrontation inside the mosque during which 6 people were injured by grenades thrown by French troops. Order was eventually reestablished soon after, but the protests were one of the pivotal points in the evolution the Moroccan nationalist movement, which transitioned from a reformist agenda to demands for independence.

Architecture

The mosque occupies an area of roughly 1500

square meters The square metre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures) or square meter (American spelling) is the unit of area in the International System of Units (SI) with symbol m2. It is the area of a square w ...

. The mosque features one of the tallest

s in the old city, making it very prominent on the skyline, especially from the south. The minaret has a square base and is decorated simply with bands of green

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white Ceramic glaze, pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an stannous oxide, oxide of tin to the Slip (c ...

. The main gate of the mosque opens on its west side, facing a small public square. It is decorated with a carved geometric pattern inside a square frame, typical of the

Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

and

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 ...

architectural legacies, filled with predominantly green tiles decorated with

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 small areas of mosaic tiles (''

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, ...

''). Above the gate is an ornately carved wooden canopy, likely of cedar, also typical of

Moroccan architecture Moroccan architecture reflects Morocco's diverse geography and long history, marked by successive waves of settlers through both migration and military conquest. This architectural heritage includes ancient Roman sites, historic Islamic architec ...

, and further above and behind rises the minaret of the mosque. Inside the mosque is a wide courtyard (''

'') surrounded by arcaded galleries, at the center of is a rectangular water basin (to aid in ablutions) under a small roofed pavilion. On the east side of the courtyard is a large roofed prayer hall marked by rows of horseshoe arches. This overall layout is similar to other Moroccan mosques. The ''

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

'' is also very traditional, consisting of an alcove with a horseshoe arch resting on engaged columns of

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

(reused from Saadian monuments), surrounded by carved stucco decoration of typical Moroccan arabesque motifs and

calligraphic Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

inscriptions, highlighted with painted colours. In addition to being a

(i.e. a large mosque that accommodates

Friday prayers Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...

and hosts a ''

khutba ''Khutbah'' (, ''khuṭbah''; , ''khotbeh''; ) serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition. Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition can be ...

''), it also hosted a small library of books for use in the mosque. The mosque also had a public street fountain to offer water to local residents.

Gallery

File:29612-Fez (27595871294).jpg, R'cif Mosque seen from the south (the white minaret in the upper right is that of the Qarawiyyin Mosque) File:Fes plaza.jpg, The mosque seen from Place R'cif (R'cif Square) File:The city of Fes 4.jpg, The minaret File:Rcif Mosque gate.jpg, The main doors of the mosque File:Rcif Mosque gate3.jpg, Detail of the wooden canopy above the entrance

References

{{Mosques in Morocco Mosques in Fez, Morocco 'Alawi architecture