Place Seffarine
{{short description|Public square in Fez, Morocco}}
File:Place as-Seffarine (4781584835).jpg
Place Seffarine or Seffarine Square ({{Langx|ar|ساحة الصفارين}}; also transliterated as {{Transliteration|ar|Saffarin}}) is a small square in the medina (old city) of Fes, Morocco. It is located on the south side of the Qarawiyyin Mosque, close to the Bou Khrareb River which runs through the heart of the medina. The square dates back to the Middle Ages but has also undergone renovations in modern times. It is adjoined by the Qarawiyyin's library to the northwest, by the Saffarin Madrasa to the east, and by the Saffarin Hammam (bathhouse) to the southwest. It is named after the coppersmiths ({{Transliteration|ar|seffarin}} or {{Transliteration|ar|saffarin}}; {{Langx|ar|الصفارين|links=no}}) who have had their workshops here for centuries.
History
The square was historically the main souq (market) of the city's coppersmiths ({{Langx|ar|الصفارين|translit=saffarin|links=no}}), who gave the square its name. They are still present today.{{Cite web|title=Place Seffarine - La place des chaudronniers de Fès|url=https://www.fes.fr/place-seffarine|access-date=2020-09-12|website=www.fes.fr}} Their workshops have been established here since at least the 16th century, when Leo Africanus noted their presence.{{Cite book|last=Le Tourneau|first=Roger|title=Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman|publisher=Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition|year=1949|location=Casablanca}}{{Rp|339–340}} The Saffarin Madrasa, whose entrance is on this square, was built here in 1271 CE by the Marinid sultan Abu Yusuf Ya'qub and is the oldest purpose-built madrasa in Morocco.{{Cite book|last=Marçais|first=Georges|title=L'architecture musulmane d'Occident|publisher=Arts et métiers graphiques|year=1954|location=Paris}}{{Rp|286}}{{Cite book|last=Lintz|first=Yannick|title=Maroc médiéval: Un empire de l'Afrique à l'Espagne|last2=Déléry|first2=Claire|last3=Tuil Leonetti|first3=Bulle|publisher=Louvre éditions|year=2014|isbn=9782350314907|location=Paris|pages=474–475}}{{Cite book|last=Kubisch|first=Natascha|title=Islam: Art and Architecture|publisher=h.f.ullmann|year=2011|editor-last=Hattstein|editor-first=Markus|pages=132|chapter=Maghreb - Architecture|editor-last2=Delius|editor-first2=Peter}} It is still in use today and was most recently renovated in the late 2010s.{{Cite web|date=2016-06-24|title=Fès: Réouverture après restauration de cinq Medersas et de Dar Al Mouaqqit|url=https://www.medias24.com/MAROC/SOCIETE/164978-Fes-Reouverture-apres-restauration-de-cinq-Medersas-et-de-Dar-Al-Mouaqqit.html|access-date=2020-06-10|website=Medias24 - Site d'information|language=fr-fr}}{{Cite web|date=2017-05-29|title=Fès : Les médersas enfin opérationnelles|url=https://leseco.ma/fes-les-medersas-enfin-operationnelles/|access-date=2020-06-10|website=LesEco.ma|language=fr-FR}} The Qarawiyyin library on the northwest side of the square was first built here in the late 16th century by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur,{{Cite book|last=Touri|first=Abdelaziz|title=Le Maroc andalou : à la découverte d'un art de vivre|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}} although the Qarawiyyin had an earlier library built further north in 1349 by Abu Inan.{{Cite book|last=Terrasse|first=Henri|title=La Mosquée al-Qaraouiyin à Fès; avec une étude de Gaston Deverdun sur les inscriptions historiques de la mosquée|publisher=Librairie C. Klincksieck|year=1968|location=Paris}} The Saffarin Hammam also dates to the 14th century during the Marinid era.{{Cite web|title=Cultural Heritage programme: Euromed Heritage 4|url=http://www.euromedheritage.net/intern.cfm?lng=en&menuID=9&submenuID=7&idnews=634|access-date=2020-09-13|website=www.euromedheritage.net}}
The square underwent a significant set of renovations in the 1930s and 1940s during the French protectorate period due to a request by the manager of the habous (endowments) of the Qarawiyyin, as well as on the initiatives of King Mohammed V. This program of restorations, which affected many of the surrounding buildings and boutiques, has given the square much of its present-day appearance.{{Cite book|last=Jelidi|first=Charlotte|url=http://books.openedition.org/pufr/209|title=Architectures au Maghreb (XIXe-XXe siècles): Réinvention du patrimoine|publisher=Presses universitaires François-Rabelais|year=2011|isbn=9782869063174|editor-last=Bacha|editor-first=Myriam|location=Tours|pages=172|chapter=Patrimonialisation de la médina de Fès et création architecturale sous le protectorat français (1912-1956) : à la quête d’une « couleur locale »}} In the process, the library of the Qarawiyyin was significantly expanded and was reopened in 1949 in its current form seen today. The Madrasa Mohammadia, an annex to the Saffarin Madrasa added in the 18th century, was also significantly renovated and expanded at this time. More recently, in the 2010s, several of the surrounding structures were again renovated, including the two madrasas (Saffarin and Mohammadia) and the Qarawiyyin library.{{Cite web|title=La magnifique rénovation des 27 monuments de Fès – Conseil Régional du Tourisme (CRT) de Fès|url=http://visitefes.com/la-magnifique-renovation-des-27-monuments-de-fes/|access-date=2020-09-12|language=fr-FR}}{{Cite web|date=2016-03-01|title=Restoring the world's oldest library|url=https://ideas.ted.com/restoring-the-worlds-oldest-library/|access-date=2020-08-26|website=ideas.ted.com|language=en}} The Saffarin Hammam was also recently undergoing restoration, under the supervision of architect Rachid Halaoui, as part of an Austrian-led project to restore various historic hammams across the Mediterranean region.{{Cite web|title=Hammam Seffarine {{!}} Fez, Morocco Activities|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/the-mediterranean-coast-and-the-rif/fes/activities/hammam-seffarine/a/poi-act/1632166/355510|access-date=2020-09-12|website=Lonely Planet|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Summary of the discussions – ECO-HAMMAM|url=https://ecohammam.com/summary-of-the-talks/|access-date=2020-09-13|language=en-GB}}
References
{{commons category|Place Seffarine}}
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