Moroccan Green Roof Tiles

In Moroccan cities, green glazed ceramic roof tiles mark buildings of religious or civic importance. Pitched wooden roofs over mosque prayer halls, small pyramidal caps on minarets, and the canopies of fountains are covered in green tile.

Where they are used

• Mosque prayer halls: at the Al-Hamra Mosque in Fez, generally attributed to the Marinid period (most likely the 14th century), the prayer hall's pitched wooden roofs are topped with green ceramic tiles, a style described as common to Moroccan mosques.
• Minarets: the minaret of the Zellja Mosque, a neighbourhood mosque in Fez, is capped by a small pyramidal roof of green tiles.
• Fountains: the Nejjarine Fountain in Fez, commissioned by Sultan Abd al-Rahman (ruled 1822-1859), has a carved wooden canopy topped by a short green-tiled roof.

Construction

The tiles sit on a timber roof structure. Inside, the same buildings often have painted wooden ceilings: the sloped wood-frame ceilings known locally as berchla, traditionally made of Moroccan cedar.

In larger mosques the timber structure is also used to carry decorative ceilings: at the Qarawiyyin Mosque in Fez, muqarnas vaults in the central nave hang from a hidden wooden framework, while the rest of the prayer hall has plain wooden ceilings.

Relationship to zellij

Green roof tiles are distinct from zellij, the cut-glazed mosaic tilework used on lower walls, floors and fountains. Both are glazed ceramics and both are part of Morocco's decorative tradition, but roof tiles are shaped to shed water, while zellij is purely a surface finish.

Context

Glazed roof tiles are also found in other traditions, notably in China (see Chinese glazed roof tiles), but the Moroccan practice developed within western Islamic architecture.