Moroccan Non-Written History: Tessallations (Mosaic Art)

The most famous, non-written source of cultural and historical significance in Morocco is definitively the world-famous mosaics, known as zellige, or zellij (kellij). The word is Arabic for “little polished stone”.[1] This tile-design art form has been passed down through the generations since the 11th century, but did not originate in North Africa. Due to Morocco’s proximity to Spain and Portugal, the art form was brought in by Moors who were the originators of the Greco-Roman style found there. Although the Moroccan arrays do reflect a Berber influence, the patterns, which are highly mathematical and geometric[2], using tesserae[3], or tiles, to pay homage to Islamic spirituality. A tessellation, used in both the arts and mathematics, is defined as “a shape that is repeated, (over and over again) covering a plane without any gaps or overlaps”.[4] 

Since Islam forbids the depiction of living beings (idolatry being an offense to God), artisans of these abstract designs introduced the style centuries ago to “encourage the mind to contemplate the perfection of God”.[5] The original colors were brown and white, but later, “reds, yellows, greens, blues and now more modern colors like turquoise and rose” were introduced.[6] Morocco is known for the craft, which can be seen in every major city, especially Fes, Meknes, Marrakesh and Casablanca, where the Hassan II palace is a modern shrine to mosaic artistry, dedicated in 1993.[7] The wealthy use the designs, which takes teams of skilled craftsman to complete over months, to embellish their homes and display their opulence.[8] 

One Harvard physicist studying the art ‘marveled’ that, “They made tiling reflecting mathematics that were so sophisticated that we didn’t figure it out until the last 20-30 years”; and scholars of various fields like engineering and computer science still study the complexity of the pieces today. One website calls it “an art form, a craft, a tradition, a discipline, a form of worship”.[9] Regardless, they are part of the charm and mystery that is Morocco. 

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[1] "Where To Find Zellige? Photo Gallery, History, Handmade Zellige and Mosaic from Morocco," Where To Find Zellige? Photo Gallery, History, Handmade Zellige and Mosaic from Morocco, , accessed January 25, 2017, http://zellige.info/index-en.html.

[2] "The Beautifully Complex Art of Moroccan Mosaics," Scribol.com, March 14, 2014, , accessed January 25, 2017, http://scribol.com/art-and-design/architecture-art-and-design/the-beautifully-complex-art-of-moroccan-mosaics/.

[3] Ibid. "Where To Find Zellige?” 

[4] "Google," Google, , accessed January 27, 2017, https://www.google.com/#q=definition of tessellation in maths.

[5]  Ibid. “The Beautifully Complex Art of Moroccan Mosaics”.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid. “Where To Find Zellige?

[8] Ibid. “The Beautifully Complex Art of Moroccan Mosaics”.

[9] Ibid. 

Morocco's Geographical Overview

Take the train from Casablanca going south
Blowing smoke rings from the corners of my mouth
Colored cottons hang in the air
Charming cobras in the square
Wouldn't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express

They're taking me to Marrakesh
All on board…

Marrakesh Express

By Crosby, Stills and Nash[1]

Familiar to most American’s, thanks to Bogart and Bergman’s Casablanca[2], and later hippie anthem, Marrakesh Express, by Crosby, Stills and Nash[3], Morocco lies on the northwest corner of the African continent. With a coastline that includes both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, one can see Spain in the distance, just across the Straits of Gibraltar.[4] It forms a land border with Algeria, to the east, one which has remained closed since 1994,[5] although relatives often cross illegally to maintain family ties, while guards “look the other way”.[6] 

To the south is a disputed territory known as the Western Sahara, which abuts Mauritania. This 1970’s annexation remains a subject of debate between neighboring countries, and has never been recognized by any world nation.[7] Morocco's more recognizable cities are Marrakesh, Tangier, and Casablanca, the largest.[8] Morocco profits from its location not only with climate, but culturally and economically, with its proximity to the European continent and trade routes that use the Straits of Gibraltar.[9] The city of Tangier was once an international zone, before becoming independent in 1956.[10] 

 

  

The climate of Morocco is distinctly Mediterranean, thanks to its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. The coastal areas benefit from the breezes off both the Atlantic and the Med; and situated just 30-35̊ north of the Equator, the nation's climate is moderate and subtropical. However, inland temps vary more, with colder winters and hotter summers the further you move away from the coastline.  Tangier, which sits on a northern tip on the Mediterranean, has the most rainfall of all African nations, due to its open exposure to the sea.[11]

Geographically, Morocco boasts miles of Atlantic and Mediterranean coastline along the north and west, and bleak, jagged mountain ranges stretching from the southwestern Atlantic coast up the interior nearly to the Mediterranean, in the north. The area along the Mediterranean coast, where Tangier is located, is known as Er Rif, and is a fertile coastal plan, just as is the areas along the Atlantic. To the east and south of the mountains is a semiarid area which joins the Sahara Desert. In between the mountain ranges lay lowland plateaus which are usable for agriculture.[12] 

The disputed Western Saharan region, along the southern Moroccan border, is rocky and desert-like, and mostly barren of people, but valuable for its extensive phosphate deposits. Morocco has the most substantial river system in all North Africa, as well as some of the highest mountains. [13]

Morocco has been ruled by several dynasties, with the current Alaouite dynasty seizing power in 1666. It is a constitutional monarchy, with both a King of Morocco and a Parliament, and is the only North African nation to have maintained its independence, eluding Ottoman domination. Over the centuries, the vast Sahara Desert, which gives way to the rugged Atlas Mountain Range, helped protect inhabitants living along the fertile areas in the west from invading tribes of the East.  Rabat is the capital, while Casablanca is the largest city.[14] [15]Marrakesh is known as the Red City due to its pinkish architecture, which reflect a rose-colored light, as well as its distinctive red plazas and structures.[16]

Morocco boasts a population of more than 30 million, most of whom practice Islam. The official languages of Arabic and local Tamazight are primarily used, as well as the Darija dialect, and French. Morocco is a member of the Arab League, and possesses one of the largest economies in Africa,[17] thanks in equal parts to tourism, proximity to Europe and the sea, and fertile, agricultural terrain.[18]  

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Major City Latitudes and Longitudes

                         LAT            LONG

Casablanca - 33.573110 N, -7.589843 W

Rabat -          33.971590 N, -6.849813 W

Tangier -       35.759465 N, -5.833954 W

Marrakesh -  31.629472 N, -7.981084 W[19]

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[1] David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash, "Marrakesh Express lyrics," AZ Lyrics (1969), 2009, accessed January 19, 2017, http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/crosbystillsnash/marrakeshexpress.html.

[2] Casablanca, dir. Michael Curtiz, perf. Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Heinreid (USA: Warner Brothers, 1942), accessed January 19, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca_(film).

[3] Ibid. Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

[4] "Snapshot, Africa: Morocco," Snapshot, Africa: Morocco, accessed January 19, 2017, http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Africaweb/snapshot/Morocco.htm.

[5]Nizar Lafraoa, "Despite Closed Border, Moroccans and Algerians Find Ways To See Their Loved Ones," The Huffington Post, September 10, 2015, accessed January 19, 2017, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/09/10/moroccan-algerian-border_n_8117162.html.

[6] Ibid. Snapshot, Africa.

[7] The Shape of Africa, Geographical Factors in African History, (Slide 6), prod. Hannah Schultz, 2016, accessed January 17, 2017, https://learn.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-15568040-dt-content-rid-135137625_1/courses/HIWD320_B01_201720/iSpring%20Presentations/Introduction%20to%20the%20History%20of%20Africa%20%28LMS%29/Introduction%20to%20the%20History%20of%20Africa%20%28LMS%29/res/index.htm.

[8] Ibid. Snapshot, Africa.

[9] Ibid. The Shape of Africa.

[10] Ibid. Snapshot, Africa.

[11] Ibid. The Shape of Africa.

[12] "Morocco - Topography," Topography - Morocco - average, area, system, , accessed January 19, 2017, http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Morocco-TOPOGRAPHY.html).

[13]W. H. Barker. "Historical Geography Of West Africa." The Geographical Teacher 10, no. 2 (1919): 54-58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40556553.

[14]Ibid. The Shape of Africa.

[15] "Morocco," Wikipedia, 2017, , accessed January 19, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morocco.

[16] Kate Smith, "Africa | Marrakesh, Morocco The Rose City Or Red City," Sensational Color, March 19, 2012, , accessed January 19, 2017, http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-around-the-world/africa-morocco-marrakesh-the-rose-city-or-red-city-1876#.WIEZ2PkrJaQ.

[17] Ibid. Morocco.

[18] Ibid. W. H. Barker.

[19] "Lat Long," Latitude and Longitude Finder on Map Get Coordinates, , accessed January 19, 2017, http://www.latlong.net/.