Saadian tombs ... masterpiece in Marrakech

Saadian tombs are located. North Casbah Almohad Marrakech. This compound was discovered funeral in 1917 by the Fine Arts and the interest of historic buildings. Had access to it is through the door is received next to the mosque, built by Sultan Almohad Yaqub al-Mansur, however, since the beginning of the last century has been initialized corridor in the southwest corner leading into the royal tomb where large yard surrounded by many rooms are located, and is bordered on both sides of the south inner wall and the Middle Powered towers. Constructed the first nucleus of the cemetery by Sultan Moulay Abdallah al-Ghalib in 1557 to house the tomb of the founder of the Sheikh Mohammed Saadia. He also built a dome where his son would be buried 1574. After that, the Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1603-1578) work to expand and decorate the tombs buried where he and his father and his mother, Lalla Masuda, and his brother, as well as many members of the royal family Saadia. The cemetery is made up of two groups Engatin: the first is made up of three rooms, one is a prayer hall is composed of three naves by several graves dating back to the 18th century. The mihrab is a niche pentagonal angles and topped with a broken horseshoe arch is based on the four varieties of marble columns and a dome covered with stalactites. The second is the central hall which defines the same twelve columns, and is one of the most beautiful first group Wings. Hall is based on four groups of three columns of marble "Karrar" and covered by a dome with a wooden roof engraved and decorated muqarnas modeled on the eastern flank of the mosque contemporary villagers him. And embraces the finest place in this hall tomb of Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur built this wing and the tomb of his son Zidane as well as the graves of some of his successor. This group ends Hall with three niches covered several ceilings of wood Aerar. And on the surface of two of the four Almcypraat contained, can read the inscriptions commemorating the Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib and his father, Sheikh Mohammed. The second group and know dome Lalla Masuda due to the fact that the first hall where her grave is the first nucleus of this compound. The latter has seen the expansion of business in the era of Ahmed Mansour, which added to the south side of a large hall covered roof Aerar not completed the decoration. This room has two balconies preceded Roacan its underlying marble columns topped desks decorated with stalactites and lintels carved from wood Aerar. It seems that the origin of this compound funeral and influenced by sources coming from the graves and tombs of the former royal families, especially those that belong to the family Marinid located in Fes and Chellah. Vzacharv plaster and tiles and those engraved on wood and all the other decorations in the parameter refers to previous artistic creations Moroccan-Andalusian, and especially those belonging to the period of Nasrid Granada where decorations stalactites spread, of Iranian origin. The wall decorations came formations was in common use during the period Marinid, and from the can say that Saadi art falls within the Andalusian tradition and that it was originally a Moroccan character Exchange.