Technical Analysis

Al-Andalus

Cross-strait construction transfer — shared structural systems, material techniques, and typological exchange between Morocco and Islamic Spain.

For eight hundred years, Morocco and Islamic Spain were not neighbours. They were the same civilisation. The Almoravids ruled from Marrakech to Saragossa. The Almohads governed from Rabat to Seville. The Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech and the Giralda in Seville are siblings — same proportions, same dynasty, built within decades of each other.

When the Reconquista ended that shared world in 1492, the consequences flowed south. An estimated two million Muslims and Jews crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco over the following century. They were not ordinary refugees. They were architects, musicians, scholars, physicians, and master artisans carrying the accumulated knowledge of the most refined civilisation in medieval Europe.

They did not assimilate quietly. They rebuilt. Entire quarters of Fes, Tetouan, Rabat, and Chefchaouen were constructed in Andalusian style. A musical tradition that had vanished from Spain survived intact in Moroccan concert halls. Dishes that disappeared from Spanish kitchens continued to be cooked in Moroccan homes. The Andalusian refugees did not preserve a memory — they continued a living culture.

711 Tariq ibn Ziyad crosses from Morocco to Iberia
1492 Fall of Granada — end of Al-Andalus
~2M Refugees to Morocco over 150 years
1609 Final Morisco expulsion from Spain

Shared Dynasties

Almoravids 1040–1147 Marrakech to Saragossa Founded Marrakech. Built the Almoravid Qubba — the oldest surviving building in the city. Ruled Al-Andalus from 1086.
Almohads 1121–1269 Rabat to Seville Built the Koutoubia (Marrakech), the Giralda (Seville), and the Hassan Tower (Rabat) — three minarets from the same template, two continents apart.
Marinids 1244–1465 Morocco (with Nasrid alliances in Granada) Built Morocco's greatest medersas (Bou Inania, Al-Attarine). Exchanged artists and techniques with the Nasrids who were simultaneously building the Alhambra.
Nasrids 1232–1492 Emirate of Granada Built the Alhambra — the supreme achievement of western Islamic architecture. Shared zellige/alicatado vocabulary with Morocco. Their fall triggered the exodus.

The Exodus

The Reconquista did not end in 1492. That year marked the fall of Granada and the first expulsions. The real catastrophe unfolded over the next 120 years.

In 1501, the main contingent of Andalusian emigrants arrived in Tetouan from Granada. In 1502, the Catholic Monarchs ordered all remaining Muslims in Castile to convert or leave. Those who converted — the Moriscos — lived under increasing suspicion and persecution for another century. Between 1609 and 1614, Philip III expelled the remaining Moriscos definitively. Approximately 300,000 people were forced across the Mediterranean.

The Moriscos arrived in Morocco dressed as Spaniards, using Christian names, speaking Castilian — some no longer spoke Arabic. Their Muslim faith was not immediately trusted by local populations. Despite this, they transformed the cities that received them. Tetouan and Chefchaouen became the primary centres, absorbing an estimated 40,000 refugees. When the Spanish seized Chefchaouen in 1920, they found inhabitants still speaking a medieval form of Castilian — four centuries after the expulsion.

Cities of Exile

Tetouan

"The White Dove" · UNESCO World Heritage

The purest expression of Andalusian culture in Morocco. Rebuilt by refugees from Granada in 1501, the medina's whitewashed facades, wrought-iron balconies, tiled roofs, and intimate courtyards are closer to Córdoba than to Marrakech. The Andalusian quarter (Blad) and the mellah (Jewish quarter) preserve architectural forms that no longer exist in Spain itself. Tetouan was granted city rights by the Caliph of Córdoba in 961 — its Andalusian identity predates the Reconquista by five centuries.

Chefchaouen

"The Blue City" · Founded 1471

Founded specifically as a fortress against Portuguese incursions and a sanctuary for Andalusian refugees. The signature blue-painted walls — often attributed to Jewish tradition — create the most photographed streetscape in Morocco. The Grand Mosque's octagonal minaret, unique in Morocco, is directly inspired by Andalusian architecture. Each house contains a central courtyard planted with orange trees, jasmine, and jessamine — a miniature Andalusian garden transplanted to the Rif Mountains.

Fes

The Andalusian Quarter · Founded 789

Fes received Andalusian refugees in two major waves: 818 (families expelled from Córdoba after a revolt) and post-1492. The city's Andalusian Quarter (Adoua al-Andalus) on the east bank of the Fes River was settled by the Córdoban exiles. The Andalusiyyin Mosque, built by these first refugees, still stands. The city's famous Andalusian music tradition — the nuba — is performed today exactly as it was transmitted from Granada through master-student chains over five centuries.

Rabat

Kasbah of the Udayas

The Kasbah of the Udayas, perched above the Bou Regreg river, was settled by Moriscos expelled from Hornachos in Extremadura in the early 17th century. These particular refugees — the Hornacheros — were unusual: they arrived as a coherent community, maintained their own governance, and launched pirate raids against Spanish shipping from the Bou Regreg estuary. The Andalusian Garden within the Kasbah, with its geometric flower beds and central fountain, is a textbook recreation of a Granadan courtyard garden.

Technical Diagrams

Comparative proportions of Almohad minarets: Koutoubia, Giralda, Hassan Tower
Fig. 1 — Three Almohad minarets from one template: Koutoubia (Marrakech), Giralda (Seville), Hassan Tower (Rabat). Square plan, 1:5 width-to-height ratio, internal ramp.
Moroccan horseshoe arch geometric construction with dimensions
Fig. 2 — Horseshoe arch geometry (Moroccan type). Arc extends approximately ⅓ radius below the spring line — distinct from Visigothic and pointed Almohad variants.

Shared Architectural Vocabulary

Zellige Alicatado Cut mosaic tilework — same geometric vocabulary, different names
Gebs (carved stucco) Yesería Carved plaster arabesques — the Alhambra's walls and Morocco's medersas use identical techniques
Moucharabieh Celosía Lattice screen windows for ventilation and privacy
Muqarnas Mocárabe Honeycomb vaulting — the Hall of the Abencerrajes (Alhambra) and Morocco's medersas share the technique
Riad Carmen (Granada) Inward-facing house with garden courtyard — the carmen of Granada's Albaicín is a riad by another name
Hammam Baños árabes Public bathhouse — star-pierced domes and sequential hot rooms survive in both countries

Continue Reading

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