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Under the influence of courtly life, the Merinid desert nomads quite soon gave up their coarse ways in favor of an urban lifestyle. This transition is clearly reflected in the richly ornamented portal of the Merinid necropolis, Chellah, which was originally laid out as a zawiya. This walled necropolis from the 13th and 14th centuries also encloses the ruins of an ancient Roman settlement, Sala Colonia, which is located about 500 m (1600 ft) from the gate, Bab Chellah. Each of the gate's two protruding bastions is crowned by four turrets, which are supported by stalactite corbels. The obviously massive brick structure of the horseshoe-shaped gate is nevertheless optically effectively aleviated by the means of artistic, skillfully designed ornamentation - a very specialty of Moorish master builders. The spandrel is covered with fine arabesques; two small half columns in the upper part, which have no supportive function, seem to lighten the wall considerably.
The high walls keep a serene garden secluded from the hectic city. The white blossoms falling from the angel's trumpet trees (datum) lining the path down to where the tombs immediately catch the eye. Because of their toxicity, local guides refer to them as "mother-in-law trees". On the way to the burial ground, from atop a terrace an the left, one can sometimes catch a glimpse of the Roman Sala Colonia excavation site. Unfortunately the site is not open to the public. The ancient city was by far the remotest advanced post in the southwestern part of the Roman Empire, and it had a good riverine harbor. A special rampart (the famous limes) erected only a few kilometers farther south primarily served to protect the residents from incursions by the Mauri and Numidi tribes. Going downhill one soon arrives at an olive grove with numerous tombs. In popular Islamic belief it is magically associated with the nearby Spring of the Sacred Eels. A flesh-and-blood marabout sells boiled eggs to women who sacrifice these eggs to the eels in the hopes of being blessed with offspring. It is said that there once was a Roman thermal bath on the same site that was later replaced by a Moslem hammam (bath house).
The high sun-dried mud walls northeast of the spring protect the ruins of the Merinid burial mosque. An unobtrusive marble slab with Koranic inscriptions and arabesques marks the tomb of the "Black Sultan" Abu el Hassan. After reigning for two decades, he was forced to abdicate in 1351 by his own son Abu Inan. The sultan's favorite wife, an English woman who converted to Islam, is buried merely a few yards away. She was given the name of chems ed duna, twilight. The Merenid sultans, in particular Abu Inan, who is also buried here, demanded that Moroccans adhere to Sunnite teachings, and built Koran schools throughout Morocco in the hope of preventing Shiite sectarianism from spreading. A decaying madrasah built during this time is situated right next to the burial mosque. The former cells of the tolba (students) surround a tiled courtyard with a purification fountain. The minaret, in good condition, is a nesting place for storks. |
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