Marrakech’s Ornate Doors: A Window into Morocco’s Rich Artistic Heritage

In the Moroccan city, each door is unique and tells a story. Adorned with engravings and decorations, it reflects artisanal craftsmanship and the cultural richness of the kingdom. Architecture researcher Mohamed Jamal Eddine Benaatiyya sees a diversity comparable to that of human thought and creativity. "According to the layout of the reference line, which is used to determine the drawing centers of the arches during their construction, the attentive observer must distinguish between the full-center arch and the two-point broken arch, called ’pointed with four centers’," he explains to Al Jazeera.

Several types of arches are found on traditional Moroccan doors. There is the Khayt arch (low basket-handle shaped arch), the Mukhawsar (a geometric shape composed of four parts of a circle arranged in the shape of the letter "S"), the arch with rokhwi (adorned with suspended motifs called rokhwi), and the arch with kharsana (multi-lobed arch decorated with ornaments called kharsana). For Benaatiyya, the door of the Ben Youssef school in Marrakech is one of the most impressive, demonstrating exceptional craftsmanship. Besides Marrakech, these doors can also be found in historic cities like Meknes, Rabat, Fez, and others.

Moroccan history researcher Hicham Al-Ahrash observes that house doors in Morocco have a "crown" rather than towers, as well as vegetal decorations above the horseshoe arch, and a bearer (or lintel) that supports the upper parts, usually square in shape. The main door of houses is made of wood, without particular ornament except for iron nails and a carved stone frame, details the Moroccan researcher, emphasizing that it opens to the right and leads to one or more corridors leading to the inner courtyard. A design conceived to preserve the privacy of the house.

As for the interior doors of houses, they consist of two identical panels that reflect the wealth and social status of the owners. There are medium or low-sized doors, but also large doors similar to those of the historic Ben Youssef school. Al-Ahrash specifies that it is common to see the construction date inscribed on the doors of houses, but also mosques, schools, and other monuments. Most of these traditional houses in Marrakech have become tourist sites and cultural centers, and have been restored by Belgian architect Quentin Wilbaux, assisted by heritage researcher Abdellatif Aït Ben Abdellah.