The ZILLIJ series in old courtyards of Morocco

In the old town of Tetouan, the ‘madinah’, there are beautiful and historical buildings with typical or traditional courtyards. Tetouan (formely know as ‘Tittawin’ from the bereber language) was of particular importance in the Islamic period, from the 8th century onwards, since it served as the main point of contact between Morocco and Andalusia. After the Spanish Reconquest of al-Andalus (completed by the fall of Granada in 1492), the town was rebuilt by Nasrid Andalusian refugees who had been expelled by the Catholic Monarchs. This is well illustrated by its art and architecture, which reveal clear Andalusian inheritance. It is one of the smallest of the Moroccan medinas but indisputably the most complete and the majority of its buildings have remained untouched by subsequent outside influences.

The streets are fairly wide and straight, and many of the houses belonging to aristocratic families, descendants of those Muslim people expelled from al-Andalus, possess marble fountains and have groves planted with orange trees. Within the houses the ceilings are often exquisitely carved and painted in hispano-moresque designs, such as are found in the Alhambra of Granada, and the tile-work for which Tetuan is known may be seen on floors, pillars and ‘dados’  (the lower part of the walls).

The Medina of Tetouan is surrounded by a historic wall of approximately 5 km in length and accessed by means of seven gates and possesses an original urban fabric characterised by the hierarchy of streets and division of residential, commercial and artisan areas following a clearly defined plan. In general, the built heritage such as the funduqs, mosques, zawayas,  fountains, hammams, ovens, and historic silos, have retained their authenticity, be it in their shape, their construction materials or their decoration or even for some, their function. The majority of houses have remained intact.

The Medina of Tetouan bears witness to the considerable influences of Andalusian civilization towards the end of the medieval period of Muslim Occident. This influence is illustrated in developments in architecture, monumental arts and town-planning, practically intact in its initial design. In conclusion, the Medina of Tetouan is an exceptionally well-preserved and complete example of this type of historic town, displaying all the features of high Andalusian culture.

In accordance with all these comments and because Tetouan and Granada (with the Alhambra, Generalife gardens and Albayzin neighbourhood) are historical Andalusian twin cities and nowadays two Unesco World Heritage Sites, AL HAMRA contemporary art projects chose the Tetouan Medina courtyards as architectural backgrounds to exhibit several large paintings of the Zillij series catalogue.

(For more information about these paintings, see the post ‘New Exhibition: The ZILLIJ art collection’ or open in a new window the Zillij series catalogue).

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