Deep within the heart of Salé, Morocco, lies Bab el-Mrissa, also known as Bab al-Mellah. Commissioned by the Marinid Sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd Al-Haqq between 1270 and 1280, this grand gate is one of the oldest and largest in Morocco. It stands as a main landmark of the city, constructed after the Marinid dynasty regained control of Salé from the Kingdom of Castile during the Battle of Salé.
The name 'Mrissa' means muddiness, as the Bou Regreg and linked canal contained sand from the surrounding land. Ships brought muddy water which disseminated in front of the gate when they were docking. The gate was established as the entrance to a shipyard where warships were placed. Ships entered the harbor from the canal by passing through the arch of the gate - a scene no longer observable today because the canal was depleted after the construction of roads connecting Rabat and Salé.
Muhammad bin Ali al-Ashbili, a well known Andalusian architect, was the designer of the gate. The arch takes a horseshoe shape, with the peak reaching 9.60 meters high and a width of 3.50 meters. Inside the gate are pathways for soldiers guarding the gate. It is also remembered as the place where Sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub dispatched his naval fleet, joined by around 36 warships, to attack the city of Algeciras several times in 1285.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Mutabor
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