Southern Tower (Fes): A Saadian Fortification
Site at a Glance
- Country
- Morocco
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Saadi
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fort
History
The Southern Tower is a Saadian fort in Fez, Morocco, built in 1582 in Saadian and Moroccan architectural styles. Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur, who ruled Morocco from 1578 to 1603, ordered its construction during the Saadian dynasty’s rule from Marrakesh. The fort was one of several built around the city to control unrest in Fes el-Bali, Fez’s old city, and defend against external attack.
The tower belonged to a wider Saadian fortification program that included Borj Nord, its northern counterpart, and three bastions along the southern and eastern walls of Fes el-Jdid, another historic district. A bastion is a projecting part of a fortification designed to support defensive fire. The forts’ designs drew on Portuguese military architecture as the Saadians fought to expel the Portuguese from Morocco. European prisoners captured at the 1578 Battle of the Three Kings, a conflict between a Portuguese expedition and Moroccan forces, probably contributed labor and expertise to the fortifications.
Borj Sud and Borj Nord were described as Fez’s first, and perhaps only, forts designed for warfare using gunpowder weapons, including artillery. Their positions gave Saadian forces the capacity to bombard the city with cannons, though the forts’ presence does not establish that they did so. A prayer space beside the Southern Tower is used for prayers on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Remains
The stone fort occupies hills south of Fes el-Bali and overlooks the old city. Across the valley to the north, Borj Nord stands on hills opposite the tower. The Southern Tower also serves as a lookout over Fez. A prayer space lies beside the fort.
