Kissariat al-Kifah
The Kissariat al-Kifah or Kissaria is the historic central bazaar of Fes el-Bali, the historic old city of Fez, Morocco. It is located between the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II and the Qarawiyyin Mosque.
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The Kissaria (a term also used in other parts of the Islamic world and sometimes transliterated from Arabic as qaysariyya) is interconnected with the Souq al-Attarine and consists of a close network of lanes and alleys which are filled with hundreds of shops.[1][2][3][4] It is only one part of a larger commercial district and of a network of souqs (markets) across the city, but was traditionally the most prestigious and most central commercial complex, where the most luxurious goods were sold.[5] A number of funduqs (merchant inns and warehouses) were also found nearby, such as the Funduq al-Shamma'in. This arrangement of a planned bazaar at heart of the city, near its most important religious and civic monuments, was typical of many major cities in the Islamic world.[6]
The bazaar has been established here since the early Idrisid period of the city (9th-10th centuries).[4][7] However, its streets and houses were rebuilt at least once after the double devastation of a fire in 1324 and a flood in 1325, and then again in the 1920s following another fire, at which point many of the structures were rebuilt in concrete.[7][8] The most recent renovations, in 2016 and 2017, replaced the street roofs with new wooden roofs, made various repairs and practical improvements, and added tile decoration along the lower walls.[8][4]
- Rooftop view of the Kissaria in 1932, with the minaret of the Zawiya of Moulay Idris II rising behind
- Rooftop view of the Kissaria in 2014, before recent renovations which replaced the roofs
- A fountain decorated with zellij in the Kissaria in 2017, after the recent renovations
References
- Le Tourneau, Roger (1949). Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman. Casablanca: Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition.
- Marçais, Georges (1954). L'architecture musulmane d'Occident. Paris: Arts et métiers graphiques. p. 315.
- Parker, Richard (1981). A practical guide to Islamic Monuments in Morocco. Charlottesville, VA: The Baraka Press.
- "La magnifique rénovation des 27 monuments de Fès – Conseil Régional du Tourisme (CRT) de Fès" (in French). Retrieved 2020-03-30.
- Ferhat, Halima (2008). "Marinid Fez: Zenith and Signs of Decline". The City in the Islamic World. Brill. pp. 247–267. ISBN 9789004162402.
- Gharipour, Mohammad (2012). "Introduction". In Gharipour, Mohammad (ed.). The Bazaar in the Islamic City: Design, Culture, and History. Oxford University Press. pp. 229–250. ISBN 9789774165290.
- Touri, Abdelaziz; Benaboud, Mhammad; Boujibar El-Khatib, Naïma; Lakhdar, Kamal; Mezzine, Mohamed (2010). Le Maroc andalou : à la découverte d'un art de vivre (2 ed.). Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Royaume du Maroc & Museum With No Frontiers. ISBN 978-3902782311.
- "Fès-Médina: La restauration de kissariat Al Kifah finalisée". L'Economiste (in French). 2017-04-14. Retrieved 2020-03-30.