Recently we talked about the maraboutsa typical building typology of Morocco. So we could not overlook the surprising presence of marabouts outside Morocco, specifically in Spain, its northern neighbor, which centuries ago gave birth to a Muslim civilization of great cultural splendor: the Andalusian. And, if you have read other posts on our blog, you will have discovered that we like to draw connections between Morocco and other countries, in the most varied aspects of architecture, art, history, gastronomy, society… Therefore, here we review several interesting examples of marabouts.
Morabito of the hermitage of San Sebastían, Granada
This paradoxical name gives us clues to its history and explains why it is one of the most artistically interesting. The building is today a Catholic hermitage, dedicated to this saint in the city of Granada, next to the Alcazar Genil and the river of the same name. But it was actually a marabout in its origin.
It was built in 1218Although its architecture and interior decoration has changed a lot, it still maintains a fascinating dome with geometric decoration that evokes its Muslim past. Its access door, in horseshoe arch framed by alfizIt also has that Islamic air so typical of these constructions. The building changed religion after the conquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, becoming a small temple under the patronage of the aforementioned saint.
Morabito of Jerez de los Caballeros
This town in the province of Badajoz houses another ancient marabout. A place of great importance in the Middle Ages, managed by the Knights of the Order of the Temple. For this reason, the location of its marabout is in a special place: inside its citadelIt is an imposing fortress full of references to these powerful religious soldiers who had an impregnable stronghold here. Artistically it is sober, but its dome and its great horseshoe arch reminds us of the Islamic tradition.
Sidi Ibrahim Morabito in Ceuta
Very close to the border with Morocco, already in African territory, is the marabout of Sidi Ibrahim, in Ceuta. And perhaps because of that proximity, it is one of the marabouts with a Islamic decoration more evident. A beautiful green dome The complex, which is a simple square building with a crenellated top, is topped by a green dome. crenellated top and a beautiful horseshoe arch access door framed in alfiz. It has been recently restored, making the contrast between the main white and green details more evident. At the same time, the integration with the surrounding nature is also softer.
Its construction is not that old and, in fact, dates back to “only” 1910. 1910it was erected as a gift from Alfonso XIII gift of Alfonso XIII to the Muslim community that requested it a year earlier, when the monarch visited the city.
Morabito (not morabito) of Gandía
We close this review of the marabouts of Spain with one that, paradoxically, is not, despite the fact that the locals know it as such. It is the marabout of Gandía, also known as Morabit in Valencian or Marxuquera’s snowdrift. In fact, that last name is the most accurate regarding its function: it seems that it emerged in the 17th century as refrigeratorThis is a place of temporary storage of snow, brought for trade from other refrigerators of longer duration in the regions of the Vall d’Albaida and La Safor, where the presence of snow was more common and permanent in past centuries. However, its beautiful and unique architecture with a circular floor plan topped by a dome led the locals to use this name of morabito.
