page_title: Moroccan architecture
section_title: Forts and other fortifications (borj, sqala, and ribat)
hierarchical_section_title: Moroccan architecture / Types of structures / Military architecture / Forts and other fortifications (borj, sqala, and ribat)
caption_attribution_description: English: the old fort (Sqala) of Essaouira.
context_page_description: Moroccan architecture refers to the architecture characteristic of Morocco throughout its history and up to modern times. The country's diverse geography and long history, marked by successive waves of settlers through both migration and military conquest, are all reflected in its architecture. This architectural heritage ranges from ancient Roman and Berber sites to 20th-century colonial and modern architecture.
  The most recognizably "Moroccan" architecture, however, is the traditional architecture that developed in the Islamic period which dominates much of Morocco's documented history and its existing heritage. This "Islamic architecture" of Morocco was part of a wider cultural and artistic complex, often referred to as "Hispano-Moorish" art, which characterized Morocco, al-Andalus, and parts of Algeria and even Tunisia. It blended influences from Berber culture in North Africa, pre-Islamic Spain, and contemporary artistic currents in the Islamic Middle East to elaborate a unique style over centuries with recognizable features such as the "Moorish" arch, riad gardens, and elaborate geometric and arabesque motifs in wood, stucco, and tilework.
context_section_description: A borj (Arabic: برج‎) generally referred to a single fort, tower, or bastion, such as the Borj Nord in Fes. A sqala (Arabic: سقالة‎) was another type of bastion, often a seaside fortification with a platform for canons, like the Sqala of Essaouira or that of the Udayas Kasbah in Rabat. A ribat (Arabic: رِبَـاط‎) usually referred to a countryside or frontier fortress ostensibly used by warriors fighting waging jihad on the edge of Islamic territory, though it also referred to a type of fortified "monastery" or spiritual retreat for Sufi adherents, not unlike a zawiya. A notable example, from an architectural point of view, is the Ribat of Tit south of El Jadida, which was originally constructed by one family in the 12th century. (Also notably, the name of the city of Rabat derives from its original name Ribat al-Fath.)
caption: The Sqala of the Port in Essaouira
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