Marabout: architecture of contemplation

Abstract

The marabout is a mausoleum, a small architecture whose meaning transcends simple construction in favor of religious codes that through symbolic representation, implement the correspondence between the essence of human nature and the divine being. It is architecture with great symbolic value; its shapes the landscape skyline in Muslim World, especially in the territories where the Sufi component is prevalent. The architecture is the result of the composition of elementary geometric shapes, the square and the circle. Physically it is a cube surmounted by a dome and the transition between the two elements is made gradual by the presence of a drum which is often octagonal. The circle and the sphere represent the sky, the square and the cube the earth; the octagon, obtained from the rotation and intersection between square and circle, becomes the connection between Heaven and Earth. The large number of minor architectures surveyed and the production of drawings with information on the state of conservation of the architecture has generated a database in which, in addition to documentation and analysis, methods of communication of contents and identity values emerge with the result of having improved the opportunities for accessibility and involvement of the authorities, in actions to protect and enhance the Berber architectural heritage.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20365/disegnarecon.25.2020.5