Mausoleum of Mohammed V

Mohammed V died in 1961. Construction of his mausoleum was commissioned by Hassan II.{{Cite book |last1=Bloom |first1=Jonathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=un4WcfEASZwC&dq=hassan+ii+commissioned+mausoleum+mohammed+v+-wikipedia&pg=PA546 |title=Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture |last2=Blair |first2=Sheila S. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-530991-1 |volume=2 |pages=546 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Mausoleum of Mohammed V |url=https://www.historyhit.com/locations/mausoleum-of-mohammed-v/ |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=History Hit |language=en-GB}} The complex was designed by Vietnamese architect Cong Vo Toan using traditional forms with modern materials.{{Cite book|last=Bloom|first=Jonathan M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IRHbDwAAQBAJ&q=Architecture+of+the+Islamic+West%3A+North+Africa+and+the+Iberian+Peninsula%2C+700-1800&pg=PP1|title=Architecture of the Islamic West: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, 700–1800|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2020|isbn=978-0300218701|location=|pages=275–276}} The rich materials, as well as the deliberate use of historical crafts and motifs, is meant to not only pay tribute to Mohammed V but also to evoke his own efforts to encourage traditional craftsmanship as a means of promote a sense of Moroccan identity.

Construction began in 1961 and involved renovations to the esplanade of the ruined Almohad-era mosque to which the Hassan Tower belonged.{{Cite web|last=Lakhdar|first=Kamal|title=Hasan Mosque|url=http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;8;en|access-date=February 22, 2021|website=Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers}} Construction was completed in 1971{{cite book|author=Udo Kultermann|title=Contemporary Architecture in the Arab States: Renaissance of a Region|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hQZQAAAAMAAJ|year=1999|publisher=McGraw-Hill|isbn=978-0-07-036831-6}} and Mohammed V's body was transferred here that same year.{{Cite book|last1=Touri|first1=Abdelaziz|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FTbdBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT3|title=Andalusian Morocco: A Discovery in Living Art|last2=Benaboud|first2=Mhammad|last3=Boujibar El-Khatib|first3=Naïma|last4=Lakhdar|first4=Kamal|last5=Mezzine|first5=Mohamed|publisher=Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Royaume du Maroc & Museum With No Frontiers|year=2010|isbn=978-3902782311|edition=2|location=|pages=}} His son Abdallah was buried here in 1983. Hassan II was also buried here upon his death in 1999.{{Cite web |title=CNN - Morocco's King Hassan buried as thousands mourn - July 25, 1999 |url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/africa/9907/25/hassan.05/index.html |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www.cnn.com}}

The mausoleum stands on an elevated platform at the southeastern corner of the esplanade. It is a rectangular structure made in reinforced concrete covered with white marble on the exterior. The exterior is marked by porticos of Moorish arches and a pyramidal green roof. The arches are also polylobed and the wall surfaces above them are carved with a characteristic Moroccan sebka motif. Inside, the mausoleum chamber is covered by a dome of mahogany wood with coloured glass, while the walls are covered in zellij tiling. Some elements are finished with chased brass. The cenotaph of Mohammed V is carved in white onyx and was made by craftsman Ibn Abdelkrim. A reader of the Quran is often present, having his assigned seat.

To the west, across from the mausoleum and at the southwestern corner of the ancient mosque, is another structure on an elevated platform: a rectangular open-air pavilion with rows of arches which was designed as a museum for the Alaouite dynasty. The space between these two structures is filled by an accompanying mosque which was also built as part of the complex. The mosque is situated at a lower level in order to not obstruct the view of the other two structures. Its hypostyle interior is divided between a men's and a women's section and includes a marble-paved courtyard (sahn).

File:Rabat Mausole MohammedV.jpg|Mausoleum of Mohammed V seen through the mosque ruins

File:Mausoleum of Mohammed V - guard.jpg|Entrance to the mausoleum

File:Guard-at-the-Mausoleum-of-Mohammed V.jpg|Columns and portico around the mausoleum, with royal guard

File:Honor guard at Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco.jpg|Honor guard at the mausoleum

File:Inside Mohammed V mausoleum.jpg|Interior of the mausoleum with a Quran reader

File:Mausoleum von König Mohammed V. (27963668267).jpg|The interior dome of the mausoleum

File:Rabat 54DSC 0717 (28959409218).jpg|The mosque attached to the mausoleum

File:Fountain-at-Mausoleum-of-Mohammed.jpg|Fountain in the façade of the complex

File:Mausoleum of Mohammed V - western pavillion.jpg|The western pavilion

File:Mausoleum of Mohammed V Rabat Morocco.jpg|Mausoleum from base of steps

• Moulay Abdallah Mosque
• Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail
• Mohammed V Mosque, Tangier
• Hassan II Mosque

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Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1971

Category:Buildings and structures in Rabat

Mohammed V

Category:Burial sites of the 'Alawi dynasty

Category:20th-century religious buildings and structures in Morocco