This reference to Ya‘qub al-Mansur reveals that the future caliph wasalready interested in urbanism and architecture and perhaps more involvedwith the project than his father,
was urbanization common in the area before the almohads or did they make it so?
Almohad Islam in al- Andalus, just as the Kutubiyya minaretannounced their success in the Maghrib
the grander their mosque, the greater their power. its interesting how just a few subtle characteristics of a mosque's architecture make it a specific group's property and status symbol.
conjoining the palace and mosque and separating theAlmohad ruler from the masses, in contrast to previous Almoravid practice.
it's interesting how religious beliefs prompted the rulers to pray in a mosque, but still they found a way to be separate from commoners
bu ªayra
is this the most distinct and well known almohad architectural creation?
hereby creating new commercial areas andstimulating the economy.
not only can architecture be a symbol of power as stated before, it can also grant power, in this case stimulating and strengthening the economy
Kutubiyya minaret, Marrakesh
the picture shows that they really DID build them like fortresses as stated, which gives a distinct imposing look especially coupled with the "simple geometry" mentioned before
established lakeside estates (
water was clearly a sign of power and the easy access to it was a sign of urbanization
earthly evocations of paradise
connection to religion in everything
he construction of such suburban ‘lake’ estates, thebaªā’ir mentioned in Chapter 5, would become common Almohad practiceand the modern olive and citrus planted Menara gardens arranged around avast pool outside Marrakesh started as one such estat
Almohad influence is visible even now in modern times!
is symbolic refusal to enterMarrakesh on the grounds of its misaligned mosques and, therefore, its defec-tive sacred geograph
their religious beliefs differed from that of the almoravids in little ways, but even these little differences affected the architectural changes made to the mosques, because architecture is a symbolic form of power and dominance
swapping rich Almoravid decoration for simpler ornamentation
they seem to prefer simpler architecture
They expressed their position in boldmilitant forms, simple and sometimes stark decoration in their mosques,and a sharp rise in the use of calligraphic motifs that expressed the tenets ofAlmohadism
this shows the almohad style influenced by their religious understanding
e the Sanhaja, the Masmuda were not heirs to a monumentalbuilding tradition and, as they advanced and captured Almoravid fortressesand cities, they had to decide whether to destroy or appropriate the monu-ments they found. In the event, they made a variety of choices and then wenton to develop a triumphal and militant architecture to express their ownrevolutionary politico-religious stance as true monotheists and defenders ofthat faith.
the almohad rulers had no distinct architecture style but wanted to leave their imprint anyway, but reliance on local workforce led to a lack of revolutionary change