Moorish style

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Courtyard of the Alhambra in Granada

The terms Moorish style or Moorish art are understood to mean the architectural and decorative artistic expressions of the Arabs and the Islamized Berbers in the Maghreb and Andalusia, who were temporarily allied with them, in the 8th to 18th centuries. The term Neo-Moorish style is used for buildings or handicrafts from the 19th or 20th centuries in Spain or other parts of Europe and the world that refer to older Maghreb models.

architecture

history

Aljafería , Zaragoza

The Arab military leaders who conquered western North Africa ( al-maghrib ) in the second half of the 7th century were to a large extent attached to the traditions of thought in Arabia, Syria and Egypt. But it quickly became apparent that without the help of the countless Berber tribes, further expansion of Islam in the West would be difficult, if not impossible. After the conquest of Andalusia (711 – approx. 750) and the establishment of the Emirate of Córdoba by the Omayyad refugee Abd ar-Rahman I (ruled 756–788), building activity gradually began. While the ʿUqba ibn Nāfiʿ mosque of Kairouan (after 703), the Mezquita de Córdoba (after 784) and the Kairaouine mosque of Fez (after 857) are still to a large extent adhered to the rather strict Syrian building concepts (cf. Umayyad mosque , Damascus ), later expansions as well as new buildings show a wide range of ornamental creativity. In this context, the palace town of Medina Azahara (after 936), located at the gates of Cordoba , deserves a special mention, where the decor and the loose structure of the buildings underline their representative claims. The same applies to the palaces of the Alhambra fortress of Granada and the Aljafería of Saragossa (both mainly after 1300). The diamond panel so characteristic of the Moorish style (e.g. Giralda or Hassan Tower ) appears for the first time in the upper part of the facade of the former mosque and later church of El Cristo de la Luz (999/1000) in Toledo .

Koubba el-Baadiyn in Marrakech (around 1120)

In northern Africa, the construction of palace cities began around the year 1007 (e.g. Qala der Banu Hammad in today's Algeria), but hardly anything has survived apart from a minaret . It took another 110 years until the construction of the Koubba el-Baadiyn in the city ​​of Marrakech , newly founded by the Almoravids , which for the first time shows ornaments (e.g. shells) in its ceiling design, as they should be exemplary for the Moorish style of later centuries. It is also worth mentioning that the buildings in Córdoba and Medina Azahara were still completely made of stone, while the core of the buildings in North Africa consisted of rammed earth mixed with rubble or brick and then plastered or clad with stucco decoration . Among the Almohads , who were considered rigorous and hostile to decor, both in religious and cultural matters , brick construction and stucco decoration receded compared to the rather simple and strict rammed earth and natural stone construction ( cf.Mosque of Tinmal and Koutoubia Mosque ). The tile mosaics in the upper area of ​​the Koutoubia minaret are possibly the first of their kind in Morocco and date from around 1200. It was only under the Merinids (1269–1465) that the broad diversification of the Moorish style, which was outstanding in terms of both aesthetics and craftsmanship, began in Morocco (see Medersa Attarine , Fès or Medersa Bou Inania , Meknès), which was also used by the Saadians (16./17 Century) and the Alavids (especially in the buildings of Mulai Ismail ) was used.

Repertoire of forms

The typical repertoire of forms of the Moorish style include:

Important buildings

Mudejar style

A late medieval and early modern aftermath of the Moorish style can be found in the Mudejar style in Spain from the 12th to 17th centuries.

Neo-Moorish style

The term “Neo-Moorish style” encompasses historicizing buildings and handicrafts of the 19th and 20th centuries - mainly on the Iberian Peninsula , but also in Malta, France, England, Austria and Germany - that use forms and other techniques (e.g. . Glazes) of the Moorish style or imitate.

Handicrafts

Only a few glazed vases and aquamaniles have survived from the area of ​​non-architectural handicrafts , otherwise most of it has been lost over time. The existence of woven carpets, patterned silk, wool and cotton fabrics as well as punched leather and metal work is attested by written sources and remains. In addition, the art of manufacturing and ornamental decoration of weapons (especially daggers ) plays an important role.

literature

Web links

Commons : Moors  - Collection of images, videos and audio files