Art almoravide and almohade

The art of Almoravides and Almohades gathers the artistic production in Spain and with the the Maghreb respectively between 1056 and 1147 and 1130 and 1269.

Historical context

The Almoravides go down from the group Berbère of the Sanhadja. In XIe century, under the influence of Abdallah Ibn Yasin, a spiritual guide, they established a ribat with the mouth of the Senegal river, from where they left to conquer territories in Africa (Sudan). It is only under Youssef Ibn Tachfin (R. 1061-1106), the founder of Marrakech in 1062, that the Almoravides crossed the Straits of Gibraltar to support the town of Tolède besieged by Alphonse VI of Castille. After the battle of Zallaqa, that they gained over the Christians, Almoravides seized Al-Andalus more or less. Their sultanate, which recognized the sovereignty of the caliphs Abbassides put an end to the period of Taifas, except with Saragossa. However, put in contact of the luxury developed then in the Spanish regions, the rigorous Berber dynasty was slackened so much and so that it was swept by the Almohades in 1147. A branch was however maintained with Minorque and Majorque.

The Almohades, étymologiquement " those which exaltent the unicity of Dieu" , arrived on the scene in 1130. Their founder, Ibn Tumart, proclaimed Mahdi, giving a eschatologic dimension to the Berber tribe which conquered the Morocco quickly and Marrakech of which they made their capital. In 1145, they started to seize the kingdom of Al-Andalus, and made Seville their second capital. This dynasty, like that of Almoravides, followed the doctrines Rigoriste Malikite, and is characterized by Messianic and military nature from its capacity. She knew a brilliant court however, sheltering scientists like Ibn Rushd, more known under the name of Averroès, and the doctor Ibn Tufayl. The victory of Alarcos in 1195 was without a future, and Almohades moved back soon as well in Spain in front of the Christians as in the Maghreb vis-a-vis the Hafsides and Mérinides. The loss of Marrakech in 1269 put an end to the dynasty.

Art almoravide

Religious architecture

The most important example is the mosque Quaraouiyine of Fès, the large mosque of Tlemcen, the Grande Mosque of Algiers and finally the Qoubba el-Barudiyyin close to the mosque Ben Yousef to Marrakech.

Art almohade

Religious architecture

The plane Arabic with naves perpendicular to the Qibla, sometimes in T, continues to be used. The arcs are out of horseshoe or multifoil, the square or cruciform pillars and the minarets of square plan also are decorated with a simple network of geometrical reasons. One however finds topics of the caliphate of Cordoue, in particular in the solid masses use of the Muqarnas, of the angular arcs letting penetrate the light, the decorations of digitées shells and palmettes.

The mosque of Tinmel, in Morocco, is an example of architecture almohade. Built in 1153, it was used as place of perdication in Ibn Tumart, and it is buried besides there. Of Arab plan in T, the mosque takes a strengthened aspect, with a wall enclosing crenelated and few openings, but it is built out of cob, with only the pillars and the arcs out of brick. The decoration is almost non-existent, except in the zone of the mihrab, which is treated like a part with whole share, which can point out the Grande mosque of Cordoue.

The mosque of the booksellers, or Koutoubia, with Marrakech was built in 1120, but sudden of many rehandlings thereafter, on behalf of the Almohades in 1162. Raised on an Arab level in T, it uses slightly broken arcs of profile very shredded for those dating from the period Almohade. Its minaret, high of 69 m, was built between 1157 and 1195. Of square section, it comprises a splendid decoration of arcs interlaced in its upper part, and is surmounted by a skylight. She also has a Minbar almoravide of 1137, originally conceived in Cordoue and decorated by a play on the colors with the various wood turpentines used.

The large mosque (Jamaa to el-Kebir) of Taza is the third mosque almohade which remained to us in Morocco.

Lastly, it is necessary to announce in Spain the Giralda of Seville, the only element which remains of the large mosque located before in this city. Gone back to 1195, this high minaret was deeply altered by the Christians, who added stages baroques to him. Its base is quasi-naked, but a lightening is made rise progressively, thanks to openings to Moorish arches. The minaret is similar to the Tour Hassan also built under Almohades with Rabat.

Civil architecture

The Alcazar of Seville is partly a palate Almohade. A great place is given to the water, which is brought inside the building since a fountain by channels. The decoration of stucco on the part high of the walls is also remarkable: plays on the niches and the " false niches" , networks of intersected arcs (Sebka), inscriptions, palmettes… are as many decorative reasons used. With Rabat the Kasbah of Oudaïa is a very beautiful example of a district Almohade.

Objects

Art of metal

In the art of metal, volumes are treated in a more brutal way, more diagrammatic, but the reasons engraved on the surface are extremely refined. It is for example the case on a stops fountain in the shape of lion , preserved at the Louvre and dated from XIIe-XIIIe centuries.

Fabrics

Paradoxically, the periods almoravide and almohade see the explosion of the Spanish silk trade, although the wearing of invaluable fabrics was prohibited. The technique used is that of the Lampas, which makes it possible to create the decorative reasons at the time of weaving and not of having to add them afterwards. Those are always organized inside tangent wheels, and represent most of the time aniamux (peacocks, lions, eagles…) or of the traditional reasons (Master of the animals, for example). The red of kermes is a color very much used then, and rather specific to Spain.

A good part of produced fabrics are intended for the Exportation, worms of other Islamic regions but especially towards the Western countries, as proves it the Chape of the king Robert or the Chape of saint Elme de Canterbury . A banner , preserved at Bruges and which would have been taken with the battle of Mow Labas (1212) is a true chief of work in his epigraphy, and must be close to the art of the book produced at the same time.

Art of the book

There remains an illustrated manuscript of this period; preserved at the library of the Vatican, it dates from first half of XIIIe century and vehicle the text of Bayad wa Riyadh . As in all the Arab books, the illustrations are inserted in the text, with for only framing a base line. The pallet is rather reduced, and a strong attention is paid to the expression of the hands.

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