During your trip to Morocco, you will see examples of magnificent zellige in many places, especially inside the most beautiful buildings, but not only. That’s why we dedicate a post to it so you can admire it better: we explain what it is, how it is produced, its origin and in which cities you can find it most often.
What is zellige and how is it produced?
The zellige is one of the most outstanding ceramic compositions of Moroccan art. It is a mosaic-like composition, but made of different pieces of glazed ceramic, i.e. tiles. These small pieces, which usually have a specific geographic shape (squares, diamonds, polygons), are joined together to form a unitary decorative pattern, such as stars or arches.
The differentiating detail is that these pieces are small tiles, that is, a piece with a fired clay base to which color is applied and, on top of it, a glazed layer, which not only protects the color but also gives it a shiny and lucid touch that embellishes the whole. It is very common to find zellige in the lower part of the walls, without exceeding the height of the human body, thus facilitating its cleaning.
It is also possible to find this type of composition on other supports, including furniture, such as table tops, still made using the same handcrafted techniques. artisan techniques of centuries ago centuries ago, which gives a more special character to each piece.
Origins and influences
What we know today as zellige did not come out of nowhere, but was probably inspired by earlier techniques. A clear precedent are the Roman mosaics and their continuation in Byzantine times, where, based on small tesserae, larger compositions are made, often figurative, but also natural and geometric.
It is precisely the latter that is a distinctive feature of Moroccan zellige, although its emergence, as we know it, probably took place in the 10th century in what is now Tunisia, under the reign of the Fatimid dynasty. However, the peak of this technique came precisely in the 14th century in Morocco, under the rule of the Marinid dynasty, when this technique reached its greatest splendor, even spreading to its neighbors in the Maghreb and to the south of the Iberian Peninsula, especially in the Nasrid kingdom of Granada.
Where to find examples of zellige
There are many places in Morocco where you can find beautiful examples of zellige. But undoubtedly, the most numerous and authentic are those located in Fez, due to the importance it reached in the Marinid era, when this city was the capital of the kingdom. There are many buildings inside which you can admire these compositions, such as in its historic madrasas, the most famous being those of Bou Inania and Attarine.
And in outdoor spaces, several historic fountains were covered centuries ago with zellige, such as the one in Nejjarine. In fact, fountains were one of their most suitable supports, thanks to the impermeable nature of the enamel. Fountains that, in many cases, are also found in interior courtyards, known as riads, so characteristic of the Moroccan medinas.
Because of their proximity, other surrounding cities can also boast magnificent examples of zellige. This is the case of Meknes, whose medina is also declared a World Heritage Site, like that of Fez. And the same is true of Marrakech, whose main monuments also knew how to assimilate the best of the zelliges, as for example in the Saadian tombs.
For all these reasons, the zellige of Morocco is a hallmark of the country, and can be admired by the traveler in monumental places, but also within reach of your pocket in smaller formats, on sale in traditional stores in the medinas.
