Archnet is an Open Access resource, provided to the public to facilitate cultural understanding and excellence in both scholarship and practice. Content from Archnet.org may not be published, displayed, or appropriated for commercial use without the expressed written permission of the copyright holder. Unless otherwise noted, Archnet material is available for instructional, nonprofit use, and personal use on the terms of a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International</a> (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. Please contact Archnet to request permission to use the Archnet.org website and its contents beyond the scope outlined above. High-resolution images may be available by contacting us using <a href="mailto:archnet@mit.edu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archnet@mit.edu</a>. The content available on Archnet, including but not limited to information, text, graphics, logos, and multimedia related to the the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/1903" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Trust for Culture’</a>s programmes, such as the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/54" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Historic Cities Programme</a>, the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/848" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Award for Architecture</a> and the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/132" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Music Programme</a>, may be protected by copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights and laws, whether owned by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, its affiliates, or third parties. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, modification, or display of this content is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of the respective copyright or trademark holder. Violation of this prohibition may result in legal penalties.

Terms of use

Archnet is a community powered resource that provides ready access to visual and textual material to facilitate teaching, scholarship, and professional work of high quality.&nbsp;This unparalleled resource continues to grow with both the addition of historic archives and documentation on contemporary trends shaping the built environment today.&nbsp;To better serve you, our user, in the study of art and architecture of Muslim societies, we continue to build our vast collection of sites, publications, images, and videos. We invite your involvement, particularly in the areas below:<ul><li>To ensure a high level of scholarly content and accuracy in the information provided, we appreciate your expert feedback and, more importantly, your contributions.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Please send comments, corrections, commendations, and other feedback to <a href="mailto:archnet@mit.edu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archnet@mit.edu</a>.&nbsp;</li><li>If you find sites on Archnet to which you can contribute in compelling and meaningful ways, your generosity is most welcome. If you would be interested in contributing research, publications or other media to Archnet, please contact us using <a href="about:blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archnet-submission@mit.edu</a>.&nbsp;</li><li>We welcome the donation of select archives based on our current editorial policies and priorities.&nbsp;If you have a collection you would like to bring to the attention of Archnet's editors, please send an email to: <a href="http://mailto: archnet-submission@mit.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archnet-submission@mit.edu</a>.</li><li>Occasionally, Archnet editors issue calls for contributions on specific themes or of particular types of material. Follow those on the <a href="https://libraries.mit.edu/akdc/category/contributors/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">website of AKDC@MIT </a>or <a href="https://mailchi.mp/17fc345bbd94/archnetakdc-updates" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">subscribe to our mailing list</a>.</li></ul>The breadth, depth and quality of Archnet is only possible through the generosity of numerous institutions and individuals listed on the respective pages throughout the site.&nbsp;We thank you for your generosity!

Contribute

<h2>ARCHNET FAQ</h2>1. Will ARCHNET work on my device?Archnet works well on the most recent version of any major browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge), either on a mobile device or computer. It may work on older or less common browsers as well. If Archnet fails to work properly on your machine, please let us know about your experience by clicking the blue feedback button at bottom right!2. Will my URLs still work?Yes, as of October 12, 2021, all URLs from the old Archnet have been redirected to ARCHNET NEXT.&nbsp;&nbsp;3. How do I download a/n:&nbsp;<ul><li>image - Select the image you want to download from search results, a site or an authority. The image will open in your browser.&nbsp;Right click to download.&nbsp;For larger, high-resolution copies, see contact us using archnet@mit.edu.&nbsp;</li><li>publication - Open the page for the publication in your browser and click the download button. Reprinting Archnet publications is permissible only for personal use.&nbsp;Please contact us for any other requests.&nbsp;</li><li>site descriptions and metadata - Site descriptions and metadata can be used for any nonprofit or educational organization with appropriate attribution to the authors and Archnet.&nbsp;</li><li>video - Currently video downloads are not possible. If you'd like to use an Archnet video, please contact <a href="mailto:archnet@mit.edu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archnet@mit.edu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>See our <a href="https://www.archnet.org/pages/terms" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Terms of Use</a> for information on how you can use Archnnet material.4. Can I contribute material to Archnet?&nbsp;Yes!&nbsp;See our <a href="https://www.archnet.org/pages/contribute" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Contribute</a> page for more information.&nbsp;Calls for specific contributions are also also shared in our social media and on the <a href="https://libraries.mit.edu/akdc/category/contributors/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">web site of the Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;5. What happened to the Archnet Timeline?&nbsp;Timeline has migrated into the ARCHNET NEXT Collections page&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/collection_type/3/1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">as a category</a>. These collections provide short introductions for each period, often offering lists of additional resources at the end of the entry. Only the timeline graphic listing the periods along a chronological axis has not migrated.6. My question isn't here.&nbsp;How can I get help?&nbsp;If your issue is with using Archnet, use the blue Feedback button to alert us to your issue. This will allow you to include a screenshot or recording. Please, also, feel free to contact us at <a href="mailto:archnet@mit.edu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archnet@mit.edu</a>We are currently developing the help section of ARCHNET NEXT. In the meantime, please use the blue Feedback button in ARCHNET NEXT to send us feedback or other questions. Contact us at <a href="mailto:archnet@mit.edu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archnet@mit.edu</a>.&nbsp;

Need help?

Welcome to ARCHNET, an Open Access, intellectual resource focused on the built environment of Muslim societies.Our mission:&nbsp;<ul><li>Facilitate excellence in scholarship, and professional work by providing ready access to quality, unique texts, and media focused on architecture, urbanism, environmental and landscape design, conservation issues, visual and material cultures, and related topics, both historically and in terms of contemporary best practices.</li><li>Enable teaching and learning in these domains by providing educators with reliable, effective pedagogical material and teaching aids.&nbsp;</li><li>Serve serves as a platform through which scholars, practitioners, and institutions can bring their work to new global audiences.&nbsp;</li><li>Promote intercultural understanding and dialogue through reliable, high-quality, peer-reviewed material on the diversity of, and pluralism within Muslim societies and the interaction between Islamic and other religious, cultural, and philosophical traditions.</li><li>Enable easy access to a wide variety of resources via a custom-built, web-based, mobile-friendly platform optimized to minimize financial, infrastructural, linguistic, and other barriers to access.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>Launched in 2002 after several years of development, ARCHNET is a pioneering digital resource that has proven a reliable authority on the built environment of Muslim societies, past, and present.&nbsp;ARCHNET is a partnership between the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/1342" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Documentation Center, MIT Libraries </a>(AKDC@MIT) and the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/1903" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Trust for Culture</a> (AKTC), with support from the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard and MIT. ARCHNET NEXT was developed by <a href="https://www.performantsoftware.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Performant Software Solutions</a>.

About

zawiya

Morocco

Michael A. Toler

https://admin.archnet.org/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBemVsQWc9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--727a4a73780a62d477c7d0c4c38c520419d5e00a/PXL_20220728_174249896.jpg

digital photograph

Zawiya-Mosque Nasiriyya

https://admin.archnet.org/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBMitsQWc9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--3c586541d6ff30d6d5b8a8637fb14172dce8f506/PXL_20220728_174226262.jpg

Zawiya-mosque Nasiriyya

https://admin.archnet.org/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBemlsQWc9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--abeb09ee957d7011186a6d0a6118160896ad0212/PXL_20220728_174302126.jpg

Tangier Medina

https://admin.archnet.org/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBMUdVQVE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--48c4ebcef78b89b4205dd1b11a1114ddfdb874c3/IAA107225.jpg

glass plate negative

Street scene in medina

Zaouia Naciria

Alternate

الزاوية الناصرية

Original

See, also, <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/2379" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Timeline: Sharifian</a> Alternate names: ʿAlawī, Alaouite, Alawid, Filālī S̲h̲arīfs, سلالة العلويين الفيلاليينApproximate dates:1631/1041 AH - presentTerritory: Current rulers of the Kingdom of Morocco. On Archnet: ﻿Rulers:<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/8245" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mawlay al-Sharif</a>&nbsp;(founder,&nbsp;r. 1631-1636/1041-1045 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2721" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mawlay Ismail Ibn Sharif</a>&nbsp;(r. 1672-1727/1083-1139 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2723" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sidi Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah al-Khatib</a>&nbsp;(r. 1757-1790/1170-1204 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2626" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Moulay Sulayman</a>&nbsp;(r. 1792-1822/1206-1238 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2731" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohamed V</a>&nbsp;(r. 1927-1961/1327-1380 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2656" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hassan II</a>&nbsp;(r. 1961-1999/1380-1420 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2733" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohammed VI</a>&nbsp;(r. 1999-present /1420 AH- present) Capital Cities:<a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/3828" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Meknes</a><a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/3900" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rabat </a>

Alawi

For more information see <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/2379" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Timeline: Sharifian</a> Sharifian dynasties derive their legitimacy from prophetic descent. The first Sharifian dynasty was the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/2362" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Idrisid dynasty</a> in the 8th c./ 2nd c. AH, but for our purposes the term refers to the two most recent ruling dynasties in Morocco, the Sa'di and Alawi Dynasties, both of which trace their lineage back to the Prophet Muhammad. The Sa’adi dynasty first comes to prominence as a militant religious movement opposing the Portuguese presence in Agadir on the southern coast of Morocco, and the Wattasid dynasty, an offshoot of the&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/timelines/48/period/Marinid/year/1310" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Maranids</a>, that had resigned itself to a policy of coexistence with Europeans in the Maghreb. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They first occupied&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/3820" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marrakech</a>&nbsp;in 1525/931 AH, and by 1550/957 AH had taken&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/3657" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fes</a>&nbsp;from the Wattasids. The Sa’dis then consolidated their control over what is today the modern state of Morocco, and defended the territory against&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/timelines/48/period/Ottoman/year/1339" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ottoman</a>&nbsp;conquest.&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/2615" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ahmad al-Mansur</a>&nbsp;(1578–1603/986-1011 AH) expanded the dynasty’s territory to its greatest extent by conquering the West African state of Songhai in present-day Mali. After his death the kingdom broke into principalities, and there was a marked rise in piracy along the coastline. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The territory was once again reunited by the Alawites, the dynasty that currently rules the kingdom of Morocco. The founder of the dynasty, Mawlay al-Rashid, mobilized Arab tribes against the powerful Berber principality of the Dila marabouts in the Middle Atlas and northern Morocco. He was succeeded by his half brother,&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/2721" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mawlay Ismail</a>, who used a professional army, drawn from the descendants of the many sub-Saharan Africans brought back to Morocco after the conquest of Songhai. He made the city of&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/3828" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Meknes&nbsp;</a>his capital, thus pushing this small town into the foreground of Morocco’s architectural history. His death caused a 50 year period of instability and conflict, due to struggles over succession between his sons, who are said to have numbered around 500, and the intrigues and split loyalties of his army officers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Recovery began during the reign of&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/2723" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sultan&nbsp;Muhammad ibn Abd Allah</a>&nbsp;(Muhammad III, 1757–90) and&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/2626" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sultan Mawlay Sulayman&nbsp;</a>(1792–1822/1206-1237 AH) who took steps to solidify central control of the government and to assert Maliki orthodoxy over maraboutic influence. Some of the most important measures he took were the foundation of the port of&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/3648" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Essaouira</a>&nbsp;in 1767/1181 AH to place the foreign trade under government control and the development of patronage networks. Nonetheless, increasing dependence on foreign trade made the state vulnerable to foreign intervention and opened the doors for European meddling in the kingdom’s internal affairs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From 1912/1330 AH to 1956/1375 AH Morocco came under protectorate status. The Spanish occupied the northern territories along the Mediterranean coastline, thus reinforcing their existing presence in the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, while the French controlled the rest of the country. The sultans Mulay Youssef (1912 – 1927/1330-1345 AH) and Muhammad V (1927 – 1961/1345-1380 AH) maintained figurehead status, while real power was held by the French colonial administration.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1946&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/2731" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Muhammad V</a>&nbsp;broke ranks with the French colonial powers and assumed leadership of the nationalist movement that sought independence.&nbsp;Since 1956, independent Morocco has continued to be governed by the Alawite dynasty. The present sultan,&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/2733" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Muhammad VI</a>, assumed power in 1999/1420 AH upon the death of his father&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2656" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hassan II</a>. Michael A. Toler Sa'adi Patrons on Archnet&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/7211" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Muhammad al-Shaykh Sâadi</a>&nbsp;(r.&nbsp;ca. 1517–1549/951-956 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2616" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sultan Sidi Abdallah al-Ghalib</a>&nbsp;(r. 1557-1574/ 965-982 AH)<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/2615" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ahmad al-Mansur Dahbi</a>&nbsp;(r. 1578-1603 / 968-1012 AH) Alawi Patrons on Archnet:<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/8245" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mawlay al-Sharif</a>&nbsp;(founder,&nbsp;r. 1631-1636/1041-1045 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2721" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mawlay Ismail Ibn Sharif</a>&nbsp;(r. 1672-1727/1083-1139 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2723" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sidi Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah al-Khatib</a>&nbsp;(r. 1757-1790/1170-1204 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2626" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Moulay Sulayman</a>&nbsp;(r. 1792-1822/1206-1238 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2731" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohamed V</a>&nbsp;(r. 1927-1961/1327-1380 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2656" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hassan II</a>&nbsp;(r. 1961-1999/1380-1420 AH)<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/2733" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohammed VI</a>&nbsp;(r. 1999-present /1420 AH- present)

Zawiya-Mosque NasiriyyaTanger, Morocco

Zawiya-Mosque Nasiriyya
Tanger, Morocco