Traditional Architectural Design

When you visit Morocco you can’t help notice the design of buildings and detail in the mosaics.  The architectural style is a reflection of the mix of cultures influencing artists since the first century.

Previously the Phoenicians and Romans controlled the Northern African region.  As time passed, the Berbers, who were the native people of the Atlas Mountains adapted Islam and Arabic culture became dominate in the land.    In 788 (yes, over 1,200 years ago!)  the first Islamic State was formed by Moulay Idriss I, the Idrisside Dynasty began in Fez, Morocco.

“What is beautiful is never too expensive. What is glorious has no price”. Thus spoke the Merinid Sultan Abu Inan when he was presented with the final costs of the monumental Bou Inaniya, a medersa or religious Muslim academy, that he had built in his capital, Fez, in the 14th century.

I won’t continue the history lesson, you know it goes back and forth with battles between Spain and Morocco.  What happened is a mix of cultural influences on both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar.

One example is a Riad, which is a traditional house or palace with an interior garden, modeled after the Roman courtyard dwellings.  The Riad is inward focused allowing privacy and protection from the weather.  The interior gardens and open roof provided air and light which is lacking in a mud brick wall construction.

Entrance to these houses is a major transitional experience and encourages reflection because all of the rooms open into the central atrium space.  In the garden there are often orange or lemon trees and possibly a fountain.  The interior walls are decorated with intricate geometric mosaic tiles.

The Moroccan culture is rich and diverse – Spanish, Italian, French, Arabic, African, Catholic, Jewish, Islamic.  Each region possesses its own uniqueness, contributing to the national culture.   Today, Morocco has set among its top priorities the protection of its diversity and the preservation of its cultural heritage.

In celebration of that diversity, I am going to bring Moroccan Design into my home.  While I can’t rebuild my home, I can bring a fountain and mosaic tiles onto my back patio.  The geometric patterns are mesmerizing and yet calming, the blue and black on white is spectacular.  I’ve got the citrus trees, maybe a little belly dancing music… What do you think?  Can you incorporate this design into your life?

Patterned Mosaic Tiles