Funduq al-Najjarin

Place an-Nejjarine today, with the funduq on the left and the fountain on the right

The name al-Najjarin (or the French transliteration Nejjarine, from Arabic: النجارين) means "carpenters", a reference to the historic presence of a carpenters' souq (market) around the square in front of the funduq today.[1] The souq is believed to have existed since the Marinid era (1244-1465 CE).[2]

The funduq was commissioned by the amin (provost or magistrate) 'Adiyil in 1711, under the reign of the 'Alawi sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif.[3][1][4][5] Another funduq founded in the same year (1711), the Funduq Sagha (Arabic: فندق الصاغة, lit. 'inn of the goldsmiths') in northern Fes el-Bali, also exhibits a very similar architecture and decorative style.[2] The saqayya (fountain) attached to the Funduq al-Najjarin was commissioned in the 19th century by the Sultan Abd al-Rahman (ruled 1822–1859).[1]

Despite these developments from different dates, the various structures and the public square form an integrated whole in the local community. The building was originally used as a trading center, caravanserai (inn), and merchant warehouse associated closely with the Makhzen (the government or royal authorities).[3][4] It likely continued to serve this function up until the beginning of the 20th century.[2] Prior to colonial rule, a small number of rooms in the establishment were owned by some of the city's Jewish merchants.[6] By the 19th century, a post office for the city of Fez also existed between the funduq and the fountain, operating out of a small shop.[7]

The funduq was classified as a national historic monument in 1916 and was used as a police station by the French colonial authority in the 1940s.[3] The building was restored between 1990 and 1996, and on May 23, 1998, it was reopened as a private museum for wood arts and crafts known as Le Musée Nejjarine des Arts et Métiers du Bois.[1][5][3]

^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference ze was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ a b c Touri, Abdelaziz; Benaboud, Mhammad; Boujibar El-Khatib, Naïma; Lakhdar, Kamal; Mezzine, Mohamed (2010). "III.1.i Place Nejjarine: fondouk, fontaine et souk". Le Maroc andalou : à la découverte d'un art de vivre (2 ed.). Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Royaume du Maroc & Museum With No Frontiers. ISBN 978-3902782311. ^ a b c d "Introduction". Nejjarine Museum of Wood Arts and Crafts web site. ^ a b Métalsi, Mohamed (2003). Fès: La ville essentielle. Paris: ACR Édition Internationale. p. 250. ISBN 978-2867701528. ^ a b Funduq al-Najjariyyin. Archnet. Retrieved January 23, 2018. ^ Le Tourneau, Roger (1949). Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman (in French). Casablanca: Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition. pp. 380, 571. ^ Le Tourneau, Roger (1949). Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman (in French). Casablanca: Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition. pp. 405–406.