Dar al-Muwaqqit
Encyclopedia
The Dar al-Muwaqqit is a room in the minaret of the Al-Karaouine mosque in Fes, Morocco
. It was the chamber of the muwaqqit, the officer charged with the regulation and maintenance of the clocks and with communicating the correct times of prayer to the muezzin. The most important object of the Dar al-Muwaqqit is the water clock of Al-Lajai. It was made at the order of the Marinid
Sultan Abu Salim Ali II (r. 1359-1361) by the muwaqqit Abu Zaid Abderrahman Ibn Souleiman al-Lajai (d. 1370). Al-Lajai had studied mathematics with Ibn al-Banna al-Marrakushi at the Al-Attarine Madrasa
. The clock was finished and put in place on November 20 1361 two months after the death of the sultan.
Fes, Morocco
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
. It was the chamber of the muwaqqit, the officer charged with the regulation and maintenance of the clocks and with communicating the correct times of prayer to the muezzin. The most important object of the Dar al-Muwaqqit is the water clock of Al-Lajai. It was made at the order of the Marinid
Marinid
The Marinid dynasty or Benemerine dynasty was a Zenata Berber dynasty of Morocco. The Marinid dynasty overtook the Almohads in controlling Morocco in 1244. They controlled most of the Maghreb from the mid-14th century to the 15th century and supported the Kingdom of Granada in Al-Andalus in the...
Sultan Abu Salim Ali II (r. 1359-1361) by the muwaqqit Abu Zaid Abderrahman Ibn Souleiman al-Lajai (d. 1370). Al-Lajai had studied mathematics with Ibn al-Banna al-Marrakushi at the Al-Attarine Madrasa
Al-Attarine Madrasa
The Al-Attarine Madrasa is a madrasa in Fes, Morocco, near the Al-Qarawiyyin. It was built by the Marinid sultan Uthman II Abu Said in 1323-5. The madrasa takes its name from the Souk al-Attarine, the spice and perfume market.-External links:...
. The clock was finished and put in place on November 20 1361 two months after the death of the sultan.
External links
- Two photos of the clock, click on 'La Clepsydre Al-Lijai'. Notice the 12 doors under and above the disk. The red wooden structure in the right hand photo is the top part of the clock. http://www.eljai.com/ (retrieved on November 20, 2008)
- La Qaraouiyine, the clock is at bottom of the page, click to enlarge http://www.abdou-leguide.com/le_dossier_du_mois/septembre2005/quaraouiyine1.htm (retrieved November 20, 2008)
- "Zayd : Abderrahmane AL LAJAI AL FASSI"on eljai.com http://www.eljai.com/celebrite.php?url=Abderrahmane_AL_LIJAI