Saadian tombs

Saadian Tombs - small mausoleum and graves in the courtyard

The Saadian tombs or Saadian tombs (Arabic ضريح السعديين ) in Marrakech served the Saadians as the most important necropolis from 1557 to 1664 . Today, like the entire city center of Marrakech, they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are considered to be one of the city's most important sights.

location

The tombs adjoin the rear part of the mosque al-Mansur (Kasbah mosque) in the south of the medina, not far from the famous city gate Bab Agnaou . They can be reached today through a narrow corridor that extends behind the inconspicuous entrance to the right of the mosque.

history

Originally the area served only as the garden of the Kasbah mosque, but several emirs and also the Merinid Sultan Abu l-Hasan were buried here centuries before the reign of the Saadians (1549–1664) . After the first Saadian sultan Mohammed ech-Cheikh was buried here, his son Abdallah al-Ghalib had a tomb built for him at this location and was later also buried here. Today's mausoleums and the surrounding walls were in the late 16th century, Ahmad al-Mansur built and then used for over 200 years until the Alawites -Sultan Moulay Ismail were enclosed with high walls to the memory of the Saadian dynasty pay off.

It was not until 1917 that the facility was rediscovered by chance. It has been continuously restored since then.

architecture

The complex houses the graves of seven sultans and 62 members of their families, as well as over 100 other graves, which are spread over two mausoleums and a green courtyard. It is completely enclosed by unadorned rammed earth walls, only in the north it is bordered by the walls of the Kasbah mosque .

Great mausoleum

The large mausoleum is located on the western flank of the complex, directly to the left of the entrance, and is divided into three adjacent halls. The tomb of the Alewid sultan Moulay el-Yazid is in the left room . As the mihrab on the south side shows, the room was initially built as a prayer room. The horseshoe arch of the mihrab, like the passage to the central hall, is surrounded room-high by an ornamentally filled alfiz . The hall is structured by four central marble columns on which white plastered horseshoe arches rest. Between these rise seven dome roofs covered with Girih patterns and a small dome lantern on the right hand side.

The middle room, known as the 'Hall of Twelve Columns', is even more splendidly furnished and, with its square floor plan, forms the center of the complex. The center of the room is covered by a large dome made of finely carved cedar wood , which is supported at each corner by three columns made of Carrara marble . The groups of columns are connected by gussets decorated with diamond patterns; these in turn with each other and towards the outer walls through muqarnas -decorated pointed arches. The ceiling of the gallery running around the central square is also made of painted and partly gilded cedar wood. In the lower area, the walls are covered with faience mosaics, similar to the floors and graves of the complex, and above them are a tape made of lettering tiles and stucco. Above these bands the walls are covered with fine reticulated stucco work. The hall houses the graves of several Saadian sultans, including that of Ahmad al-Mansur , as well as their family members.

On the far right is the smaller "hall of the three niches", which is similarly ornately decorated as the main hall and houses the graves of children of the Saadian rulers.

Small mausoleum

The smaller mausoleum is located in the middle of the site and only its north side is attached to the wall of the mosque. Underneath the eaves of the roof, which is covered with green glazed tiles, there is a tape carved from cedar wood, and a broader geometric stucco band underneath. In the north part of the building there are two loggias on the opposite sides with a magnificent gable made of cedar wood, each supported by two marble columns. Behind these is a small prayer room that houses the grave of Lalla Messaouda.

There are more Saadian graves in the southern part. Here, too, there are faience mosaics and tapes on the walls, as well as a central arched gate with an alfiz filled with arabesques , behind which lies a niche filled with muqarnas. The roof structure of the room consists of a small, geometric cedar wood construction that is partially painted and gilded.