The Najjarin Funduq was built in 1711/1122 AH by Amin Adiyil during the reign of the 'Alawid Sultan Isma'il b. Muhammad I al-Sharif, al-Samin (1672-1727/1082-1139 AH). Located in the old city of Fez, or Fez al-Bali, the funduq opens onto the square of the Najjarin, or carpenters. It provided lodging and storage space for visiting merchants in three floors of rooms arranged around the central courtyard.
The funduq's monumental portal and the adjacent fountain are focal points of the small square of the carpenters, and are decorated with carved cedar wood, colourful mosaic tile revetment, and intricately carved stucco. Their decoration and forms create visual connections between the exterior space of the square and the interior space of the funduq's central courtyard, which is decorated with carved stucco and carved wooden balustrades.
The structure was completely restored between 1990/1410 AH and 1996/1416 AH. In 1998/1418 AH, as a result of a partnership between the Mohammed Karim Lamrani Foundation and Nejjarine Ensemble, the building now houses La Musée Nejjarine des Arts et Métiers du Bois, a private museum of Wood Arts and Crafts.
Sources:
Hillenbrand, Robert.
Islamic Architecture. NY: Columbia UP, 1994. 240-251.
Pickens et al.
Maroc: Les Cites Imperiales. Paris: ACR Edition. 1995.
"Introduction" in Nejjarine Museum of Wood Arts and Crafts web site.
http://www.nejjarine.co.ma/introduction.htm Accessed June 5, 2013.
