In very welcome news to those of us who are committed to the restoration of the Medina of Fez, American Express announced it is donating USD 75.000 for the rehabilitation of the Sahrij and Sbaiyin Madrassas complex in the historic Medina of Fez. We understand that a huge amount of effort was put into obtaining the funding by Bonnie Kaplan, who has worked very hard for several years on a grant to save these two medersas. Our congratulations to you Bonnie.
This first part of a bigger financial assistance was given to the World Monuments Funds to safeguard and revamp the architectural heritage of the two Madrassas, dating back to the Merinid era.
The emergency aid was made to preserve the two historical Koranic schools which were listed in the 2004 World Monument Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites.
The rehabilitation works are to be made by the Moroccan Commission in charge of historical sites of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a world professional association working for the protection of monuments and cultural heritage.
Madrassas or Islamic schools were established throughout the Arab world. They were inspired by the schools established in Baghdad. The first Madrassas in Morocco were founded by the Merinid sultans. They were Islamic colleges with boarding facilities. The syllabi was heavily based on the study of Islamic thought and the Koran, but also included the Arabic language, astronomy, mathematics and medicine.
There are many Madrassas in Fez, the most important is Bou Inania, built in the mid 14th century by Sultan Abu Inan, the first ruler of the Marinid Dynasty. The El Attarine Madrassa was built in the 14th century by the Marinid Sultan Abu Said. Sahrij Madrassa is another Koranic school in Fez. It was built in 1321 and named after its ablution pool (or sahrij in Arabic). Madrassa Sbaiyin was built in 1323.
The World Monument Watch was set up in 1995 at the Initiative of American Express with a USD 10Mn budget for ten years.
It is to be hoped that other major businesses will follow the example of American Express.
Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news
1 comment:
I was at the Sahrij Medersa yesterday...truly an amazing building, and very much endangered. Thanks to Bonnie Kaplan, who has worked very hard for several years on a grant to save these two medersas.
One shocking thing I noticed when I was there yesteday is that tourists are breaking off pieces of the original zellij mosaic from the walls to take as souvenirs. Much is missing that was there six months ago. Something needs to be done to stop this...
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