Agdal (garden)

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walled date palm grove in Marrakech

An Agdal is a park with a central water basin, which is typical of the Almohads . The word agdal comes from the Berber language and describes a walled meadow.

construction

In the classic Agdal, one or more water basins are fed by aqueducts, rainwater and groundwater and in turn supply a walled orchard, which is divided into right-angled compartments ( jannât ). They also ensure the water supply for the associated palace and the city. Such gardens surrounded the palaces of the Almohad sultans. They were surrounded by a wall reinforced with towers.

history

The first Agdal garden was of 1157 by al-Haj Ya'îsch from the root of the Gedmîwa for Almohad Rulers Idris al-Ma'mun applied in Marrakech, then transfer the pattern in all parts of the kingdom. These gardens were a symbol of the Almohad sultans and their rule over nature for the benefit of their subjects.

There are Agdal Gardens in Marrakech , Rabat , Ceuta , Gibraltar and Seville, among others . Many Portuguese gardens also have large water basins modeled on the Agdal, such as the Quinta da Bacalhoa in Azeitão from the 16th century. In order to create the Agdal in Seville, al-Hâj Ya'îsch put the Roman irrigation systems back into operation. In 1674 an Agdal was built in Meknes under Mūlāy alIsmāʿīl . It was watered with water wheels, the central basin was 340 × 149 m in size. Another Agdal was built in Marrakech ( Bahia Palace ) around 1900 .

See also

literature

  • Mohammed el Faïz: The garden strategy of the Almohad sultans and their successors (1157-1900) . In: Michel Conan (Ed.): Middle East Garden Traditions: Unity and Diversity. Questions, Methods and Resources in a multicultural perspective. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Harvard Press, Washington DC 2007, pp. 95-111.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mohammed el Faiz: The garden strategy of the Almohad sultans and Their successors (1157-1900). In: Michel Conan (Ed.): Middle East Garden Traditions: Unity and Diversity. Questions, Methods and Resources in a multicultural perspective. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Harvard Press, Washington DC 2007, p. 95
  2. ↑ Mohammed el Faiz: The garden strategy of the Almohad sultans and Their successors (1157-1900). In: Michel Conan (Ed.): Middle East Garden Traditions: Unity and Diversity. Questions, Methods and Resources in a multicultural perspective. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Harvard Press, Washington DC 2007, p. 103
  3. ^ Helena Attlee: The gardens of Portugal. Frances Lincoln, London 2007, p. 9
  4. ↑ Mohammed el Faiz: The garden strategy of the Almohad sultans and Their successors (1157-1900). In: Michel Conan (Ed.): Middle East Garden Traditions: Unity and Diversity. Questions, Methods and Resources in a multicultural perspective. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Harvard Press, Washington DC 2007, p. 100
  5. ↑ Mohammed el Faiz: The garden strategy of the Almohad sultans and Their successors (1157-1900). In: Michel Conan (Ed.): Middle East Garden Traditions: Unity and Diversity. Questions, Methods and Resources in a multicultural perspective. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Harvard Press, Washington DC 2007, p. 108