Alarife
@alarife.bsky.social
Interested in art, architecture and history, with a focus on North Africa and Iberia, aiming to shed light on lesser-known facts.
From Spanish treatise by López de Arenas (17th c.):
Candillijo "little oil lamp"
Zafate harpado "harpoon-shaped Safat"
Almendrilla "little almond"
Zafate "tray"
Calle "alleyway"
Moroccan names for the same shapes:
Qandīl "oil lamp"
Ṣfeṭ l-Ḥarba "spear-shaped Sfet"
Lūza "almond"
Ṣfeṭ
Zqāq "alleyway"
Candillijo "little oil lamp"
Zafate harpado "harpoon-shaped Safat"
Almendrilla "little almond"
Zafate "tray"
Calle "alleyway"
Moroccan names for the same shapes:
Qandīl "oil lamp"
Ṣfeṭ l-Ḥarba "spear-shaped Sfet"
Lūza "almond"
Ṣfeṭ
Zqāq "alleyway"
June 2, 2025 at 3:01 AM
From Spanish treatise by López de Arenas (17th c.):
Candillijo "little oil lamp"
Zafate harpado "harpoon-shaped Safat"
Almendrilla "little almond"
Zafate "tray"
Calle "alleyway"
Moroccan names for the same shapes:
Qandīl "oil lamp"
Ṣfeṭ l-Ḥarba "spear-shaped Sfet"
Lūza "almond"
Ṣfeṭ
Zqāq "alleyway"
Candillijo "little oil lamp"
Zafate harpado "harpoon-shaped Safat"
Almendrilla "little almond"
Zafate "tray"
Calle "alleyway"
Moroccan names for the same shapes:
Qandīl "oil lamp"
Ṣfeṭ l-Ḥarba "spear-shaped Sfet"
Lūza "almond"
Ṣfeṭ
Zqāq "alleyway"
Mīḍaʔat As-Sulṭān "the Sultan's ablution pavilion" in Tunis b. in 1450 to serve the believers in their washing ritual before prayers.
The monument’s marble paneling and two-tone decoration reflect Egyptian influences, which had already begun to spread into the Eastern Maghreb by the late 14th c.
The monument’s marble paneling and two-tone decoration reflect Egyptian influences, which had already begun to spread into the Eastern Maghreb by the late 14th c.
May 18, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Mīḍaʔat As-Sulṭān "the Sultan's ablution pavilion" in Tunis b. in 1450 to serve the believers in their washing ritual before prayers.
The monument’s marble paneling and two-tone decoration reflect Egyptian influences, which had already begun to spread into the Eastern Maghreb by the late 14th c.
The monument’s marble paneling and two-tone decoration reflect Egyptian influences, which had already begun to spread into the Eastern Maghreb by the late 14th c.
A low-relief carving from the altarpiece of the Royal Chapel of Granada, finished in 1522, depicts the baptism of Granadan women c. 1499–1501. The women are wearing veils (Melḥafa) in white, red, pink, green, purple, and light brown, all edged with a golden border.
May 10, 2025 at 11:44 PM
A low-relief carving from the altarpiece of the Royal Chapel of Granada, finished in 1522, depicts the baptism of Granadan women c. 1499–1501. The women are wearing veils (Melḥafa) in white, red, pink, green, purple, and light brown, all edged with a golden border.
A fountain in the Chrabliyine district from the second quarter of the 14th C. in Fez, Morocco.
Above it, an inscription of a poem, written on tiles using the sgraffito technique, where parts of the glazed surface are scratched away to create a two-tone design.
Above it, an inscription of a poem, written on tiles using the sgraffito technique, where parts of the glazed surface are scratched away to create a two-tone design.
April 29, 2025 at 2:19 AM
A fountain in the Chrabliyine district from the second quarter of the 14th C. in Fez, Morocco.
Above it, an inscription of a poem, written on tiles using the sgraffito technique, where parts of the glazed surface are scratched away to create a two-tone design.
Above it, an inscription of a poem, written on tiles using the sgraffito technique, where parts of the glazed surface are scratched away to create a two-tone design.
Byzantine glass mosaic above the 10th century mihrab (a niche indicating the direction of prayer) of the Great Mosque of Córdoba, now a cathedral.
It is interesting that such a visually striking decoration was never reemployed in any other monument in Iberia or in North Africa.
It is interesting that such a visually striking decoration was never reemployed in any other monument in Iberia or in North Africa.
April 22, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Byzantine glass mosaic above the 10th century mihrab (a niche indicating the direction of prayer) of the Great Mosque of Córdoba, now a cathedral.
It is interesting that such a visually striking decoration was never reemployed in any other monument in Iberia or in North Africa.
It is interesting that such a visually striking decoration was never reemployed in any other monument in Iberia or in North Africa.
A wing of bliss was spread over you,
A green [banner] that turned the morning [light] into a sash;
It flutters like the beating heart of whoever opposes you,
Striking the souls whichever way it unfurls;
Assuring you fortune with a triumphant bearing,
So look forth to the preeminent omen of success.
A green [banner] that turned the morning [light] into a sash;
It flutters like the beating heart of whoever opposes you,
Striking the souls whichever way it unfurls;
Assuring you fortune with a triumphant bearing,
So look forth to the preeminent omen of success.
April 22, 2025 at 1:46 AM
A wing of bliss was spread over you,
A green [banner] that turned the morning [light] into a sash;
It flutters like the beating heart of whoever opposes you,
Striking the souls whichever way it unfurls;
Assuring you fortune with a triumphant bearing,
So look forth to the preeminent omen of success.
A green [banner] that turned the morning [light] into a sash;
It flutters like the beating heart of whoever opposes you,
Striking the souls whichever way it unfurls;
Assuring you fortune with a triumphant bearing,
So look forth to the preeminent omen of success.
In 2000, Christie's auction house sold two truncated wooden doors, alleged to be Nasrid-made from the 14th century.
Despite the low-quality picture, the inconsistencies make me confident these doors are forgeries, possibly made during the 19th century.
Despite the low-quality picture, the inconsistencies make me confident these doors are forgeries, possibly made during the 19th century.
April 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
In 2000, Christie's auction house sold two truncated wooden doors, alleged to be Nasrid-made from the 14th century.
Despite the low-quality picture, the inconsistencies make me confident these doors are forgeries, possibly made during the 19th century.
Despite the low-quality picture, the inconsistencies make me confident these doors are forgeries, possibly made during the 19th century.
For clarification, palaces in Al-Andalus had a formal name used in high register (official documents, poetry, inscriptions) and another for low register. Here, the formal name was Dār al-Mulk, "Palace of Sovereignty," while (supposedly) Kumāriṣ was the dialectal one, which later passed into Spanish.
On the top left of the piece, the name of the palace appears as K.m.r.ṣ (كمرص). No vowels can be inferred as the text lacks diacritical marks, and the word is unattested. However, it may have been pronounced Kumāriṣ, posited by the Spanish name of the same palace, "Comares."
April 16, 2025 at 5:17 PM
For clarification, palaces in Al-Andalus had a formal name used in high register (official documents, poetry, inscriptions) and another for low register. Here, the formal name was Dār al-Mulk, "Palace of Sovereignty," while (supposedly) Kumāriṣ was the dialectal one, which later passed into Spanish.
An original piece from the Alhambra's Hall of Ambassadors that was removed in 1959 during conservation work on the dome. On its reverse, an inscription in Andalusi Arabic.
April 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM
An original piece from the Alhambra's Hall of Ambassadors that was removed in 1959 during conservation work on the dome. On its reverse, an inscription in Andalusi Arabic.
In Fez, the term Yšābī or Lišābī refers to a "cross lap joint," commonly used in the framework that braces an inclined roof. The singular form, Yašba, denotes each individual member that composes the joint.
April 14, 2025 at 8:01 PM
In Fez, the term Yšābī or Lišābī refers to a "cross lap joint," commonly used in the framework that braces an inclined roof. The singular form, Yašba, denotes each individual member that composes the joint.
April 14, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Bəršla pl. Brašəl (pronounced in the old Medinas of Fez and Meknes with a voiced approximant /ɹ/) is the name given to decorative wooden sloping roofs found in rich houses, palaces and mosques.
The word is from Andalusi Arabic with the Spanish lexicographer Pedro de Alcalá giving it as...
The word is from Andalusi Arabic with the Spanish lexicographer Pedro de Alcalá giving it as...
April 11, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Bəršla pl. Brašəl (pronounced in the old Medinas of Fez and Meknes with a voiced approximant /ɹ/) is the name given to decorative wooden sloping roofs found in rich houses, palaces and mosques.
The word is from Andalusi Arabic with the Spanish lexicographer Pedro de Alcalá giving it as...
The word is from Andalusi Arabic with the Spanish lexicographer Pedro de Alcalá giving it as...
On the door’s jambs of the lookout of Linderaja in Alhambra are panels of ceramic topped by an epigraphic frieze that reads as follows:
النصر والتمكين والفتح المبين لمولانا ابي عبد الله امير المسلمين
Victory, empowerment, and assured triumph to our lord Abi Abd Allah, the commander of the Muslims.
النصر والتمكين والفتح المبين لمولانا ابي عبد الله امير المسلمين
Victory, empowerment, and assured triumph to our lord Abi Abd Allah, the commander of the Muslims.
April 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM
On the door’s jambs of the lookout of Linderaja in Alhambra are panels of ceramic topped by an epigraphic frieze that reads as follows:
النصر والتمكين والفتح المبين لمولانا ابي عبد الله امير المسلمين
Victory, empowerment, and assured triumph to our lord Abi Abd Allah, the commander of the Muslims.
النصر والتمكين والفتح المبين لمولانا ابي عبد الله امير المسلمين
Victory, empowerment, and assured triumph to our lord Abi Abd Allah, the commander of the Muslims.
@lameensouag.bsky.social Do we know if Marrakesh developed a pre-Hilalian dialect outside of its elite class?
April 6, 2025 at 10:49 PM
@lameensouag.bsky.social Do we know if Marrakesh developed a pre-Hilalian dialect outside of its elite class?
I wouldn't call medieval Marrakesh an intellectual center comparable to Fez. Though it was the seat of two empires, which made it one of the wealthiest and most populated cities in Maghreb, this didn’t translate well into its intellectual life, remaining in the shadows of its northern sister city.
April 6, 2025 at 10:31 PM
I wouldn't call medieval Marrakesh an intellectual center comparable to Fez. Though it was the seat of two empires, which made it one of the wealthiest and most populated cities in Maghreb, this didn’t translate well into its intellectual life, remaining in the shadows of its northern sister city.
Reconstruction (plan and elevation) of a Mocárabes frieze from the palace in the Mechouar citadel, Tlemcen, Algeria.
April 6, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Reconstruction (plan and elevation) of a Mocárabes frieze from the palace in the Mechouar citadel, Tlemcen, Algeria.
Mihrab (prayer niche) which belonged to the citadel of Murcia, Spain. This work is attributed to the Taifa king Ibn Mardanis (1147–1172) and was found during excavations in the Church of San Juan de Dios.
April 5, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Mihrab (prayer niche) which belonged to the citadel of Murcia, Spain. This work is attributed to the Taifa king Ibn Mardanis (1147–1172) and was found during excavations in the Church of San Juan de Dios.
My newsletter dealing with the architecture of medieval Aghmat (Morocco):
open.substack.com/pub/alarife/...
open.substack.com/pub/alarife/...
Aghmst: a forgotten city and its architecture
Exploring ancient ruins, historic architecture, and the stories they tell.
open.substack.com
April 5, 2025 at 7:02 AM
My newsletter dealing with the architecture of medieval Aghmat (Morocco):
open.substack.com/pub/alarife/...
open.substack.com/pub/alarife/...
A repurposed minaret from the 13th century in the Albaicin neighborhood which is today serves as the bell tower of the church of San Juan de los Reyes in Granada.
🧵Thread [1/13]
🧵Thread [1/13]
March 17, 2025 at 1:42 AM
A repurposed minaret from the 13th century in the Albaicin neighborhood which is today serves as the bell tower of the church of San Juan de los Reyes in Granada.
🧵Thread [1/13]
🧵Thread [1/13]
@lameensouag.bsky.social In Morocco, the horizontal part of a hip roof is called l-bṣāṭ while in Spanish the same element is called Almizate.
How likely is it that the two words are derived from a supposed Andalusi "Al-biṣāṭ"?
How likely is it that the two words are derived from a supposed Andalusi "Al-biṣāṭ"?
March 14, 2025 at 6:05 AM
@lameensouag.bsky.social In Morocco, the horizontal part of a hip roof is called l-bṣāṭ while in Spanish the same element is called Almizate.
How likely is it that the two words are derived from a supposed Andalusi "Al-biṣāṭ"?
How likely is it that the two words are derived from a supposed Andalusi "Al-biṣāṭ"?
A house patio that belongs to Bâb Alī district in the medina of Tlemcen, where the historian of Al-Andalus Al-Maqri (conventionally Al-Maqqari) is believed to have lived his early life.
📸Kossay Zaoui.
📸Kossay Zaoui.
March 14, 2025 at 5:04 AM
A house patio that belongs to Bâb Alī district in the medina of Tlemcen, where the historian of Al-Andalus Al-Maqri (conventionally Al-Maqqari) is believed to have lived his early life.
📸Kossay Zaoui.
📸Kossay Zaoui.