Kouba Ba'adiyn, a photo from Marrakech, South

Photographer's Note

This one escaped my first round of Marrakech. It is a beautiful construction and it is the only architecture piece of the Almoravid period that survived until the present in Morocco. Being so, it is an important piece of the Moroccan architecture, because the Almoravid style influenced much of the later Moroccan architecture.

Almoravids were a powerful Berber dynasty, whose empire on its hey days, on the 11th and 12th century, stretched from most of what is now Spain and Portugal in the North, to Senegal and Mali in the South and the West part of Algeria. Their homeland was somewhere in the Sahara, maybe in what is now the Western Sahara or Mauritania.

This 11th century construction, which appears as a domed fountain to someone like myself, not versed in Moroccan and Islam architecture, must have been an annexe for ablutions of the nearby Ben Youssef Mosque. The mosque was demolished and rebuilt on the 12th century by the Almohads, who succeeded taking the power from the Almoravids and then on the 19th it was again rebuilt in Merenid style. Next to the domed building, there are some ruins of a cistern and latrines. It was buried for centuries and only in 1948 it was dug out and restored.

This was shot from the center of the (dried) pond that lies below the dome. I posted another pov on a WS.

Links to info: Wikitravel / Marrakech, Wikipedia/Marrakech, Wikipedia/Almoravids, Concise Britannica / Almoravids, Lexicorient / Marrakech, Lexicorient / Almoravids.

pedrocarmo, jarais, triptych2003, bostankorkulugu, jmcl, vagabondtravels, sufi, cimcim, rigoletto, Retagger, atus, deblink, adores, besnard, zeca, Donald, pboehringer, robertosalguero, maloutim, ruisc_pt has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

pedrocarmo (1295) 2007-02-20 17:21

Very beutifull photo
The details of ceiling are fantatstic.

batalay (41261) 2007-02-20 17:23

Hello Jos�,

I just happened to be on line when the photo rolled in. The collors and definition are excellent. And the eight-fold symmetry is on display as well as I've seen it anwhere. It is in beautiful condition, but that must be because of subsequent recontruction and restoration. I hope that you've enjoyed you long weekend away from TE. All my best,

B黮ent

jarais (421) 2007-02-20 17:38

Hi Jose,

Original photograph and beautiful color.

Best regards,

Cristina.

Lucassie (219) 2007-02-20 17:45

Tr鑣 belle prise de vue , l'architecture est superbe, les couleurs et les tons sublimes.
F閘閏itations

triptych2003 (1534) 2007-02-20 18:02

hi jose

beautiful symmetry here. it reminds me of a kaleidoscope. well seen and presented.

bostankorkulugu (42866) 2007-02-20 18:17

simply amazing jose... both the architecture and your shot... congrats...

korkut:)

superpau (1464) 2007-02-20 18:56

Hola Jos�!
Ambas fotos me gustan mucho! Siempre mirar hacia arriba trae gratas sorpresas :D
La foto del WS permite ver con un poco mas de profundidad la cupula, pero en ambas, los colores calidos y los detalles son muy buenos!

Besos!
Paula.

jmcl (14535) 2007-02-20 21:28

Hi Jos�

beautiful palette of colors ... wonderful symmetry .. I really really like this one .. thanks for finding it.

take care,

John

Wanda1 (15142) 2007-02-21 0:37

Hi Jose,
This is so nice and sharp that we can see all the beautiful details here. Great point of view, I can just imagine how long it must have taken to carve out these intricate details. Nice inetersting shot!
Regards
Wanda

sothy81 (9646) 2007-02-21 0:45

Hi Jose, this is a very nice photo. I love this architecture. Great perspective. Well done. Sothy

leo61 (0) 2007-02-21 0:47

Hi Jose!
Great shot of this fantastic roofconstruction.
Excellent lightmanagement,nice pink tones and I like the symetry.
Regards,Leo

vagabondtravels (6511) 2007-02-21 2:11

Hi Jose

Interesting piece of architecture you have found here. Very intricate. Well done.
Ben

UnTrained (0) 2007-02-21 2:17

Ol� Jos�,
thanks for the workshop, it was necessary for me for a 3D idea. This one is a challenge for my eye, so many details so well presented. I think this is a special challenge, because my eye asks for some shadow and light play to find the structure and some depth. And you captured it in wonderful exposure with each detail enlighted. I see some changes of the light comparing to upper and lower part of the shot but that is not enough for the eye. You could also take this one for "confusing" the eye - in a wonderful way.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

gemlik (983) 2007-02-21 2:34

Hi Jose,
Nice details shot.beautiful colors and tone with good symmetry.well done.TFS
All the best
bulent

siolaw (38294) 2007-02-21 5:12

Hi Jose,
Nice detail of this intricately decorated ceiling... sharp details and nice color tones.. the light is well controlled, an interesting note..
TFS
Laurent

maltese (22909) 2007-02-21 6:19

Salut Jos�
Un beau choix de cadrage avec une parfaite sym閠rie et grande nettet� de l'ensemble.
C'est tr鑣 bien observ� et tr閟 bien r閍lis�!!
Amicalement
Herv�

sufi (9588) 2007-02-21 9:18

Hola Jos�, my friend...
It's a wonderful point of view and very creative composition... The Moroccan architecture is very effective... The wooden colors, the light and the details are perfect.
TFS....
Stay well...
Boa tarde..
Salim.

paura (25802) 2007-02-21 10:06

Jos�,
Excelente composi玢o aqui. O ponto de tomada e as cores ficaram realmente boas para resultar nessa linda fotografia.

Paulo

cimcim (3712) 2007-02-21 10:52

Hey Jose,
wonderful frame! Details are very clear and beautiful! I like WS as well but original one much more better. You shot this beautiful architecture very nice.
TFS
Aycin

Bluejeans (64251) 2007-02-21 15:57

Ola amigo Jose ficou fantastica esta tua foto cheia de detalhes , bem original!!!
Um abra鏾 Gon鏰lo

rigoletto (34279) 2007-02-21 16:53

Ol� Jos�!
This is perfect symmetry with the soft tones you like a lot. Very nice and effective POV that is useful for us to see every detail without hurting our necks. It somehow looks like the mouth of an octopus with the sharp edges and eight symmetrical protrusions surrounding the center. TFS,
Deniz

guillaumejm (0) 2007-02-21 17:07

Hello Jos�,
Nice architecture picture!. With perfect symetry. I love these tones almost monochromatic.
Best regards
Jmarc

Retagger (26) 2007-02-21 19:01

Hello Jose,

The carved details are amazing. Excellent point of view and composition. The datails gives the sense that much work went into producing this carving - this was not carved overnight.

Great capture!

Regards,
David...

leonorkuhn (16237) 2007-02-21 19:36

Ol� Jos�,

Lindo teto, ricamente ornamentado, um trabalho espetacular, muito bem captado. A variedade de tons rosados, os detalhes apresentam grande nitidez. Excelente luminosidade. Muito boa simetria.

Abra鏾s,
Leonor

atus (15878) 2007-02-22 13:02

Hello Jos�,
very well captured and greatly framed shot from a very good pov. The perspective is impressive and I like the perfect symmetry here. Also well managed lighting and nice,natural colours here.
Well done! Tfs and best wishes.
Attila

MIG13 (0) 2007-02-23 12:01

Tomada deslumbrante, Jos�, pelas cores quentes, pela simetria e pelo efeito 鷑ico, que lembra o de um caleidosc髉io! Bom trabalho! Abra鏾! Miguel.

deblink (2548) 2007-02-23 16:48

Hi Jose,
This piece of architecture is superb as is your image of it. The detail in the photo is grand and it almost looks like it is three dimensional. Excellent.
Cheers,
Debbie

ahmetgedikli (25609) 2007-02-23 19:12

Ola Jose,
Beautiful shot! Wonderful colors, details and good lighting. nice work.
All the best.
Ahmet

adores (46979) 2007-02-23 19:33

Ol� Jos�!
Esta ficou excelente!N鉶 � definitivamente dos locais mais fotografados de Marrakech.A c鷓ula � bastante bonita e ficou excelente tanto pelo POV como pelas cores. Muito bem conseguida!A do workshop d� realmente uma ideia muito boa mas acho esta mais bonita.
Anabela

vincz (19113) 2007-02-24 3:57

Wow... a true kaleidoscopic vision. This is amazing. A pure beauty. Congratulations.

jackart (6702) 2007-02-24 8:18

Hi jose!

Interesting shot with very good POV. Picture is full of details. Very good simple composition full showing wonderful harmony, artism and symmetry of the construction.

Regards
Jacek

setenay (7706) 2007-02-26 3:55

Hola Jose,
Exellent shot and symmetry,wonderful colors and details of contruction.Conratulations.
setenay

besnard (59196) 2007-02-27 3:00

Bonjour Jose
Tr鑣 belle composition de cette voute. Grande nettet� du motif et belle couleur ocre.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journ閑.
Nicole

zeca (19762) 2007-02-27 22:27

Hola Jos�!
Que belas formas! Algo que n鉶 se faz mais nos dias de hoje! Muito bonita a arquitetura! Gosto do enquadramento e da ilumina玢o sem sombras.
Abra鏾,
Zeca

capthaddock (28790) 2007-02-28 13:58

Hi Jose - I love the symmetry, and the even exposure, the shapes and patterns are amazing in detail.

pboehringer (770) 2007-03-02 23:56

Hi Jose, it really seems to me that I missed some spetacular posts of yours during my 2 weeks absence from TE while I was on vacation in Brazil and DR. Absolutely stunning view of this ceiling. So rich in details and you got it very good. Most beautiful texture and great light conditions to explore it.
Regards, Peter

emilbo (22616) 2007-03-05 17:02

Ola Jose!
Magnifique d鬽e et bonne clart� d'image qui nous laisse bien voir les d閠ails de cette superbe construction. C'est bien que la partie principale soit un peu d閏entr閑.
Salutations du Canada,
Emilius

robertosalguero (292) 2007-03-07 2:05

Hello Jose. This is one of those pictures that I need to see the thumbnail for some time to find out what I am looking at. I like the shape of this ceiling. The details and colors are unique and visually appealing. I just wonder how long it takes for a building like to be completed. Nice perspective and thanks for sharing this little piece of historical data.

Roberto

suhan (3552) 2007-03-18 5:32

wonderful composition, cadrage, symetry and colours...
very well done
tfs-regards
merve-suleyman

maloutim (13617) 2007-08-02 7:22

Bonjour Jose!
Whaouh! J'ai trouv� ceci par hasard dans tes "random photos"! Je trouve la photo et le WS stup閒iants de beaut�! J'aime beaucoup l'architecture mauresque de fa鏾n g閚閞ale, mais vraiment ce d鬽e est un des plus magnifiques que j'aie vu! les couleurs uniformes, allant du brun au rose clair sont du plus bel effet, et la dentelle dans les sculptures me laissent baba d'admiration!
Merci d'avoir partag� cette merveille que tu as eu la chance de pouvoir photographier!
Amicalement.
Marie Louise.

fkokol (1636) 2007-08-20 15:10

Beautiful architectural detail. Wonderful colours and sharpness..
greetigns,
figen

ruisc_pt (11594) 2008-02-21 8:57

Ol� Jos�
Esta "puxou-me" o olhar
impressionante o recorte e o detalhe da m鉶 de obra desta maravilha Almor醰ida
Gostei
Um ab
Rui

Morac (27725) 2008-04-20 1:52

Bonjour Jos�,

Nous avons eu une inspiration identique avec
La Qubba de Marrakech.
Bonne journ閑

Marc