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The minbar was already widely praised and appreciated among observers and scholars soon after its creation. The fact that the
Almohad leader Abd al-Mu'min, who is reputed to have destroyed all Almoravid religious buildings in Marrakesh after he took the city, selected the minbar to be transferred and
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forms, while the inner sides feature an eight-pointed star composition (an abridged version of the pattern on the main flanks of the minbar) which is framed by a band of blackwood deeply carved with a Qur'anic inscription of Kufic Arabic letters on an arabesque background. The top of the staircase is
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alignment. It is not certain when the mosque was completed, but it may have been around 1157. Abd al-Mu'min ordered the
Almoravid minbar of Ali ibn Yusuf to be transferred to his new mosque, possibly an indication of the high esteem in which the minbar was already held at the time. A hidden specially
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named Hajj al-Ya'ish, who also completed other projects for the caliph. Modern archaeological excavations carried out on the first
Kutubiyya Mosque have found evidence confirming the existence of such a mechanism under the floor of the mosque, though its exact workings are not fully established. One
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inside which are curving plant motifs, all made entirely in marquetry with different colored woods. The inside of the staircase's balustrades were originally covered in panels of carved arabesques, but only one of these has survived. The bottom of the minbar's staircase is flanked by two much taller
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The backrest at the top of the minbar was probably one of the most lavishly decorated parts of it but unfortunately it has lost most of this surface decoration, with only outlines and fragments still visible. Another Kufic inscription, smaller and simpler than the ones found around the sides of the
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The large triangular faces of the minbar on either side are covered in an elaborate and creative motif centered around eight-pointed stars, from which decorative bands inlaid with bone and coloured woods then interweave and repeat the same pattern across the rest of the surface. The spaces between
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For reasons which are no longer well understood, Abd al-Mu'min decided to rebuild a second
Kutubiyya Mosque right next to the first and nearly identical to it. The minbar was then moved to this second mosque while the first mosque was abandoned and eventually demolished. The minbar remained in use
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of the mosque (a wooden screen that separated the caliph and his entourage from the general public during prayers) was also retractable in the same manner and would emerge from the ground when the caliph attended prayers at the mosque, and then retract once he left. This mechanism, which elicited
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conquered
Marrakesh from the Almoravids and began construction of the Kutubiyya Mosque that same year. This new mosque was to replace the Ben Youssef Mosque as the main mosque of the city, as Abd al-Mu'min is reported to have demolished all the mosques in the city built under the Almoravids,
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in
Marrakesh, produced in 1189-1195, marks another high mark of minbar artistry which presented a slight variation on the same model and also proved influential in subsequent designs. Later minbars are seen by scholars as lesser imitations of these earlier models, though still in some cases
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balustrades pierced with a horseshoe-arch frame. Its surfaces are covered with more highly elaborate ornamentation including carvings and bands of fine wooden mosaics, forming somewhat different motifs from the rest of the minbar. The outer sides of these balustrades feature curved
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here until 1962, when it was moved into storage for protection. By then its wooden structure and decoration had deteriorated significantly from centuries of use. In 1996-97 the minbar was partially restored by an international team of experts from the
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Historical accounts describe a mysterious and invisible semi-automated mechanism in the
Kutubiyya Mosque by which the minbar would emerge, seemingly on its own, from its storage chamber next to the mihrab and move forward into position for the
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The production of Ali ibn Yusuf's minbar started in 1137 and is estimated to have taken seven years. The minbar was shipped in pieces from
Cordoba and reassembled in Marrakesh. It is believed that the minbar was originally placed in the
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side occupied by a staircase with nine steps. It is 3.46 metres (11.4 ft) long, 0.87 metres (2 ft 10 in) wide, and 3.86 metres (12.7 ft) tall. The main structure is made in
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The minbar's artistic style and quality was hugely influential and set a standard which was repeatedly imitated, but never surpassed, in subsequent minbars across
Morocco and parts of
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and the
Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco. The minbar was then moved to a room in the El Badi Palace in Marrakesh for public display, where it remains today.
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minbar, is carved around the top edge of the backrest but is now incomplete. It states that the minbar was fabricated in Cordoba for a "great venerated mosque" (probably the
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framed by similar but much shorter balustrades pierced with horseshoe arches. These in turn have their own set of curving motifs, mosaics, and arabesque panel decoration.
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408:, on the exterior northern wall of the current mosque. Excavations here yielded evidence confirming the existence of a hidden mechanism which moved the minbar and
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for public display, where it remains today. Made primarily of wood and decorated with a variety of techniques, the minbar is considered one of the high points of
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designed mechanism integrated into the new mosque allowed for the minbar to advance and retract, seemingly on its own, from its storage room next to the
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during his expansion of the mosque between 961 and 976. Like the later Almoravid-commissioned minbar, it was made using precious woods and inlaid with
585:
Bloom, Jonathan; Toufiq, Ahmed; Carboni, Stefano; Soultanian, Jack; Wilmering, Antoine M.; Minor, Mark D.; Zawacki, Andrew; Hbibi, El Mostafa (1998).
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of the mosque. The tall narrow niche immediately on the right of the central mihrab niche here corresponds to the minbar's former storage chamber.
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used at his newly built great mosque (the Kutubiyya) suggests that he saw it as a trophy and a significant artistic object in its own right.
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Detail of the geometric motif on the flanks of the minbar, centered around a recurring eight-pointed star. The spaces are filled with
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theory, which appears plausible from the physical evidence, is that it was powered by a hidden system of pulleys and counterweights.
591:. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Ediciones El Viso, S.A., Madrid; Ministère des Affaires Culturelles, Royaume du Maroc.
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The other surfaces of the minbar feature a variety of different motifs. The steps of the minbar are decorated with images of an
451:. The only other minbar produced in the same period and considered to be of similar quality is the Almoravid minbar of the
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accomplished works of art in their own right. Notable examples include the Almohad renovation to the minbar of the
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Mélanges d'histoire et d'archéologies de l'occident musulman: Tome II: Hommage à Georges Marçais
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great curiosity and wonder from contemporary observers, was designed by an engineer from
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Maroc Almoravide et Almohade: Architecture et décors au temps des conquérants, 1055-1269
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La médina de Marrakech: Formation des espaces urbains d'une ancienne capitale du Maroc
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these bands form other geometric shapes which are filled with panels of deeply carved
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647:. Imprimerie Officielle du Gouvernment Général de l'Algérie. pp. 159–167.
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689:"From Mosque To Museum; Restoring an Object's Surface May Petrify Its Heart"
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script on blackwood and bone running along the top edge of the balustrades.
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inscription which runs along the upper edge of the minbar's sides.
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conquest of Marrakesh in 1147, the minbar was moved to the new
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617:. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 362–367.
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Lintz, Yannick; Déléry, Claire; Tuil Leonetti, Bulle (2014).
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M. Bloom, Jonathan; S. Blair, Sheila, eds. (2009). "Minbar".
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The minbar is essentially a triangular structure with the
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at the time), in the early 12th century by order of the
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colour), and, for the central star-shaped panels, dark
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The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture
94:. The minbar was commissioned for the main mosque of
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Terrasse, Henri (1957). "Minbars anciens du Maroc".
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Mechanism moving the minbar in the Kutubiyya Mosque
889:Maroc médiéval: Un empire de l'Afrique à l'Espagne
273:wood. The surfaces are decorated through a mix of
871:A practical guide to Islamic Monuments in Morocco
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849:Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers
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459:, produced in 1144. The Almohad minbar of the
761:. Rabat: Éditions Techniques Nord-Africaines.
476:(circa 1290-1300), the Marinid minbar of the
917:Marrakech: Splendeurs saadiennes: 1550-1650
324:but identified by recent closer studies as
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354:motifs visible on the faces of the steps.
269:wood and the minbar's base was made with
873:. Charlottesville, VA: The Baraka Press.
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611:Dodds, Jerrilynn D., ed. (1992).
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196:of the Almoravid city, the first
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320:wood (previously assumed to be
759:Marrakech: Des origines Ă 1912
48:Minbar of the Kutubiyya Mosque
16:Historic art object in Morocco
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671:. Edinburgh University Press.
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498:Minbar of the Ibrahimi Mosque
156:(pulpit) was commissioned by
503:Minbar of the al-Aqsa Mosque
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843:El Khatib-Boujibar, Naima.
727:. Oxford University Press.
667:Bennison, Amira K. (2016).
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98:, the Almoravid capital in
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891:. Paris: Louvre Ă©ditions.
364:Moorish (horseshoe) arches
231:Metropolitan Museum of Art
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775:Wilbaux, Quentin (2001).
757:Deverdun, Gaston (1959).
423:'s sermon. Likewise, the
869:Parker, Richard (1981).
468:in Fes (1203-1209), the
68:furnishing similar to a
915:Salmon, Xavier (2016).
800:Salmon, Xavier (2018).
386:Mosque of Ali ibn Yusuf
178:Great Mosque of Cordoba
963:Almoravid architecture
779:. Paris: L'Harmattan.
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816:"Jami' al-Kutubiyya"
474:Great Mosque of Taza
439:Legacy and influence
34:, on display at the
263:North African cedar
919:. Paris: LienArt.
693:The New York Times
478:Bou Inania Madrasa
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198:Ben Youssef Mosque
182:Caliph al-Hakam II
180:, commissioned by
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804:. Paris: LienArt.
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377:dodecagonal
369:interlacing
267:walnut tree
124:Islamic art
957:Categories
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624:0870996371
509:References
373:quatrefoil
302:arabesques
259:hypotenuse
174:al-Andalus
82:al-Andalus
701:0362-4331
275:marquetry
251:arabesque
162:Almoravid
144:Marrakesh
110:built by
96:Marrakesh
86:Almoravid
40:Marrakesh
30:from the
25:Almoravid
845:"Minbar"
492:See also
330:Qur'anic
271:fir tree
973:Minbars
820:ArchNet
482:Saadian
470:Marinid
449:Algeria
426:maqsura
411:maqsura
314:reddish
306:boxwood
253:pieces.
205:Almohad
166:Cordoba
130:History
120:Moorish
104:Almohad
100:Morocco
74:Cordoba
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402:mihrab
360:arcade
337:Arabic
318:acacia
310:jujube
293:Arabic
279:inlaid
222:mihrab
207:ruler
153:minbar
146:today.
70:pulpit
66:mosque
58:Arabic
53:minbar
42:today.
28:minbar
352:plant
334:Kufic
322:ebony
290:Kufic
247:inlay
215:qibla
186:ivory
170:Spain
78:Spain
50:is a
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893:ISBN
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827:2019
781:ISBN
729:ISBN
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619:ISBN
421:imam
375:and
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138:The
89:amir
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62:منبر
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23:The
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