Ben Salah Mosque

De **Ben Salah Mosque** anaa **Ben Saleh Mosque** (Arabic: مسجد بن صلاح, Berber languages: ⵎⴻⵣⴳⵉⴷⴰ ⴰⵢⵜ ⵙⴰⵍⴰⵃ) be a 14th-century Marinid mosque insyd de historic medina of Marrakesh, Morocco. Ebe de major surviving Marinid-era monument per insyd Marrakesh wey ebe notable for ein fine minaret.

## Historical background

Details of de mosque ein foundation den construction no be entirely clear. An inscription for de monument einself dey state dat construction of de minaret begin insyd August 1321. According to historian Ibn al-Muwaqqit, na de construction of de mosque fi begin insyd 1318-1319. Dis chronology (i.e. construction insyd 1318-1321) be de most plausible wey go mean say na dem build de mosque under de reign of Marinid Sultan Abu Sa'id Uthman (he rule 1310-1331), wey sanso build sam of se madrassas insyd Fez (e.g. de Madrassa al-'Attarin).

Na dem name de mosque after a local saint, Muhammad ben Salah (anaa Ibn Salih) to whom na dem dedicate wey ebe na around ein tomb dem build. Dem record little about dis figure, however, oda dan dat folklore dey claim na he be a simple butcher plus de gift of foresight.

Na dem build a madrasa next to de mosque by de Alaouite sultan Moulay Rashid around 1669-1671. As of 2012, na der be plans make dem convert de madrasa into a museum wey dey display religious objects from de city ein heritage, such as *minbar*s den manuscripts.

## Architecture

### Overall layout of de mosque
Despite chaw repairs over de centuries, de mosque dey appear e remain essentially unchanged. De interior dey feature a rectangular courtyard, wide buh no be very deep, wey be surrounded by arcades wey center around a small basin anaa fountain. Beyond de courtyard be de main space of de prayer hall, define by two rows of arches wey dey form nine aisles. De overall layout be dat of de common "T"-type, wich be say dat de aisle of arches wey dey lead to de mihrab (a niche wey dey symbolize de direction of prayer) be wider dan de oda aisles beside am. De easternmost den westernmost aisles to de sides of de prayer hall be truncated wey dem no dey extend all de way north: a minor curiosity rarely dem see insyd dis type of mosque (except for anoda Marinid mosque insyd Chellah). 

De interior dey feature little decoration except for de mihrab for de middle of de qibla wall (wey dey indicate de direction of prayer). Like chaw western North African mosques of de period, de direction of de qibla (den, by extension, de orientation of de entire mosque), be substantially different from dat of de "modern" qibla; e dey face south-south-east, whereas de modern qibla insyd Morocco be almost due east (towards Mecca). De mosque get three entrances, den de minaret dey locate for ein western syd. 

De tomb of Muhammad Ben Salah dey locate insyd de north-western corner of de mosque.

## Architecture

### Overall layout of de mosque
Despite chaw repairs over de centuries, de mosque dey appear e remain essentially unchanged. De interior dey feature a rectangular courtyard, wide buh no be very deep, wey be surrounded by arcades wey center around a small basin anaa fountain. Beyond de courtyard be de main space of de prayer hall, define by two rows of arches wey dey form nine aisles. De overall layout be dat of de common "T"-type, wich be say dat de aisle of arches wey dey lead to de mihrab (a niche wey dey symbolize de direction of prayer) be wider dan de oda aisles beside am. De easternmost den westernmost aisles to de sides of de prayer hall be truncated wey dem no dey extend all de way north: a minor curiosity rarely dem see insyd dis type of mosque (except for anoda Marinid mosque insyd Chellah). 

De interior dey feature little decoration except for de mihrab for de middle of de qibla wall (wey dey indicate de direction of prayer). Like chaw western North African mosques of de period, de direction of de qibla (den, by extension, de orientation of de entire mosque), be substantially different from dat of de "modern" qibla; e dey face south-south-east, whereas de modern qibla insyd Morocco be almost due east (towards Mecca). De mosque get three entrances, den de minaret dey locate for ein western syd. 

De tomb of Muhammad Ben Salah dey locate insyd de north-western corner of de mosque.

### De minaret
De minaret be de most notable element of de mosque den most richly decorated. As plus de Marinid architectural style in general, dem derive am from Almohad forms wich cam make e define Moroccan-Andalusian architecture. For particular, e dey appear dem model am in part for de Almohad minaret of de Marrakesh ein Kasbah Mosque. Ein upper facades be covered insyd de *darj-wa-ktaf* anaa *sebka* pattern (wey dey resemble palmettes anaa fleur-de-lys shapes), plus minor differences between de patterns for de north den south syds versus those for de east den west syds. De lower facades be dominated by large polylobed arch motifs. As plus de Kasbah Mosque, all of dese patterns be molded insyd brick for a background of turquoise-green faience tiles. (Unlike de Almohad minarets, however, der be no tile frieze near de top of de minaret.) Each facade be pierced by three windows plus horsheshoe-shaped arches, dema positions coordinate plus de polylobed arch patterns around dem. De top of de minaret, wey dey include ein upper lantern, be rimmed plus merlons typical of Moroccan architecture. 

Na dem repeat dis overall layout of decoration soon afterwards for de Chrabliyin Mosque insyd Fez, anoda Marinid construction from de same era, wich dey make de Ben Salah minaret an example of de transition between Almohad models den subsequent constructions wey cam turn typical insyd Morocco. Na dem sanso construct an extremely similar, buh smaller, minaret give anoda mosque insyd Marrakesh, de Moulay el-Ksour Mosque (dem more commonly know am as de Mosque of de Cat), probably around de same time as de Ben Salah Mosque.

### Madrasa

De madrasa, dem build by de Alaouite sultan Moulay Rashid, dey locate behind (east of) de mosque. De building be centered around a large square courtyard, wey be surrounded by a two-story gallery wey dey lead to chaw rooms.

## References


## Read further

* Basset, Henri; Terrasse, Henri (1932). *Sanctuaires et forteresses almohades*. – Old book but contains a full chapter about the mosque's architecture. The book was reprinted in 2001 or 2003.

## External links