Tomb of Sidi Bel Kacem

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 6 min

Tomb of Sidi Bel Kacem
Religion
AffiliationIslam
StatusThe musalla is still in use
Location
LocationFez, Morocco
Architecture
Typemausoleum
CompletedUnknown

The Tomb of Sidi Bel Kacem (Arabic: قبر سيدي أبو القاسم) or Qubba Sidi Ibrahim al-Shakdani[1] (قبة سيدي إبراهيم الشكداني) or Boabdil's Tomb (قبر ابو عبد الله) is a historic memorial monument located in Fez, Morocco. It entombs the remains of a local mystic, Sidi Ibrahim al-Shakdani, as well as purportedly the last Nasrid ruler of Granada, Abu Abdallah Muhammad XII (also known as Boabdil).[1] The small domed tomb (qubba) is located next to a local musalla outside Bab Mahrouk, a historic gate of Fes el Bali.[1]

Etymology

[edit]

The name of the building, Sidi Bel Kacem, is derived from a Spanish rendition of the name Sidi Abu al-Qasim. Abu al-Qasim was the kunya of the local patron saint, Sidi Ibrahim al-Shakdani, who was buried here two hundred years[1] after Abu Abdallah, also known as Boabdil (its Spanish rendition).

17th-century portrait of Boabdil

History

[edit]

Abu Abdallah Muhammad XII died in 1533, and according to the historian Al-Maqqari, he was buried at the site.[1] At an unknown time, a domed tomb was constructed over his grave. About two hundred years later, an unrelated person, Abu al-Qasim Ibrahim al-Shakdani, was buried there as well.[1] He was buried above Boabdil, whose body had already decayed by that time.[1]

The mausoleum was reported to have been in a filthy condition in 2013.[2] According to a 2021 article, its floor and inner walls were covered in garbage and it was being used as a shelter by the homeless and the drunk.[1]

Archeological developments

[edit]

In 2013, a Spanish-Emirati research team conducted a geo-radar scan on the floor of the shrine.[2] The results revealed two tombstones, and deeper down, two skeletons were revealed as well.[2] It was concluded that one of the uncovered bodies belonged to Sidi Abu al-Qasim Ibrahim al-Shakdani, while the other one was theorized to have been the body of Boabdil.[2] To prove the latter, the team proposed an excavation to extract the body, but they were denied permission to do so.[2]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "آخر ملوك غرناطة الذي ظُلم حياً وميتاً.. أبو عبدالله الصغير دفين منسي في فاس المغربية". عربي بوست. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e القويطي, سناء. "آخر ملوك الأندلس المنبوذ من الجميع.. محاولة للبحث عن قبر أبي عبد الله الأحمر في فاس". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-11-28.



Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Sidi_Bel_Kacem
7 views |
Download as ZWI file
Encyclosphere.org EncycloReader is supported by the EncyclosphereKSF