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.

A typical alley in the Kissaria (before recent restorations)

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
  1. 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.
  2. Marçais, Georges (1954). L'architecture musulmane d'Occident. Paris: Arts et métiers graphiques. p. 315.
  3. Parker, Richard (1981). A practical guide to Islamic Monuments in Morocco. Charlottesville, VA: The Baraka Press.
  4. "La magnifique rénovation des 27 monuments de Fès – Conseil Régional du Tourisme (CRT) de Fès" (in French). Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  5. Ferhat, Halima (2008). "Marinid Fez: Zenith and Signs of Decline". The City in the Islamic World. Brill. pp. 247–267. ISBN 9789004162402.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. "Fès-Médina: La restauration de kissariat Al Kifah finalisée". L'Economiste (in French). 2017-04-14. Retrieved 2020-03-30.

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