Les inscriptions de Bāb Manṣūr al-‛Ilǧ : déchiffrement et traduction

Abstract

The city of Meknes is identified mainly with a single monument: the gate of Bāb Manṣūr al-‛Ilǧ, which was built by Mawlāy Ismā‛īl and then restored and decorated by his son, Mawlāy ‛Abd Allāh. This article aims to retrace, in their respective historical contexts, the two key stages of the building of this gate, dwelling upon both its architectural presentation and its epigraphic description. It provides a complete deciphering of the engraving found on the upper part of the gate’s exterior facade, followed by a new translation, as well as illustrations.