THE CLOCK THAT STOPPED BUT WAS NEVER FORGOTTEN: AN AMAZIGH HERITAGE IN FEZ

In the intellectual heart of 14th-century Fez, the water clock of Dar al-Muwaqqit at the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque stands as one of the most refined expressions of Amazigh Moroccan scientific achievement. Built in 1361 CE under the Marinid Sultan Abu Salim Ali II and designed by the timekeeper and scholar Abu Zayd ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Lajjāʿī, the clock represents a culmination of indigenous Amazigh knowledge rooted deeply in the Maghreb (Price, 1962). It was neither an imitation of Eastern technologies nor a derivative of Andalusian inventions; rather, it emerged from the ingenuity of Moroccan Amazigh craftsmen and scholars whose understanding of astronomy, hydraulics, and mechanics was tailored to the religious and social rhythms of their own communities (Hill, 1981; Zaimeche, 2003).

The clock was driven by a regulated flow of water from a cylindrical reservoir, which maintained a steady current using a float regulator. As water slowly drained, the float descended, pulling a rope mechanism attached to a hidden cart behind a wooden panel. This cart moved gradually across a track, activating a series of shutters—typically twelve or twenty-four small doors—mounted on the facade. Each hour, one door would open automatically, releasing a small brass or bronze ball. The ball would fall into a resonant metal bowl, producing a sound that signaled the passage of time to the surrounding community. Above the doors, a rotating astrolabe disk, inscribed with celestial patterns, completed one revolution every 24 hours. This disk allowed the clock not only to mark time audibly and visually, but also to represent the daily movement of the sky over Fez (King, 1983; Hill, 1981). The muwaqqit would reset the mechanism every morning, recalibrating it based on solar position or a sundial reading, thereby ensuring synchronization with seasonal variations in daylight (Price, 1962).

This technical marvel reflected a local Amazigh worldview in which the measurement of time was intimately connected with religious devotion, agricultural life, and cosmological awareness. It did not rely on complex gear trains but instead on mechanical elegance—floats, pulleys, weights, and calibrated shutters. The simplicity of the mechanism made it robust, precise, and easily maintained within the cultural and environmental context of the medieval Maghreb (Zaimeche, 2003). Scholars such as Donald R. Hill and David A. King have acknowledged the uniqueness of this timekeeping instrument, distinguishing it from more gear-dependent devices elsewhere (Hill, 1981; King, 1983). Historical accounts, especially the Kitab Jannat al-Ās by Abu’l-Hasan al-Jazna’i, composed in 1357, provide detailed descriptions of the earlier version of this clock built in the Bou Inania Madrasa and later perfected in Dar al-Muwaqqit (al-Jazna’i, 14th c.).

What sets the Dar al-Muwaqqit clock apart is not only its mechanical ingenuity but also its cultural depth. It functioned as more than a scientific device; it was a liturgical instrument, coordinating the rhythm of public prayer and social activity. It embodied the harmony between celestial observation and earthly responsibility. It linked divine order to communal order, showing how the cosmos could be translated into audible and visual experiences for the people of Fez (King, 1983). The existence of such a clock within the Qarawiyyin complex speaks volumes about the role of timekeeping in Amazigh Moroccan scholarship—time not just as abstraction, but as presence, ritual, and collective discipline.

Though the original mechanism has not survived intact, some components—such as the astrolabic disk—still exist in Fez. In the 2000s, a reconstruction of the clock was realized for the Istanbul Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam. This replica was based on historical Amazigh-Maghrebi Arabic sources and realized by historians and artisans in collaboration with European academic institutions (World History Encyclopedia, 2023). While broadly credited as an Islamic scientific artifact, it is essential to emphasize its distinct Moroccan Amazigh origin. The Dar al-Muwaqqit clock is not merely a footnote in the history of science—it is a shining chapter in the story of how indigenous North African Amazigh knowledge systems produced tools of extraordinary technical and symbolic power.

This timekeeping instrument offers insight into a civilization that knew how to unify science, faith, architecture, and daily life. Its legacy is not only in what it measured but in what it represented: a harmony between the heavens and the earth, crafted by Amazigh minds in the stone heart of Fez.

References

1. Price, Derek J. de Solla. Mechanical Water Clocks of the 14th Century in Fez, Morocco. Proceedings of the Tenth International Congress of the History of Science, Ithaca, 1962.
2. Hill, Donald R. Arabic Water Clocks. Institute for the History of Arabic Science, Aleppo, 1981.
3. King, David A. Astronomy in the Service of Islam. Variorum, 1983.
4. al-Jazna’i, Abu’l-Hasan. Kitab Jannat al-Ās fī Binā’ Madīnat Fās. Manuscript dated 1357 CE.
5. Zaimeche, Salah. History, Culture and Science in Morocco. MuslimHeritage.com, 2003.
   https://muslimheritage.com/history-culture-and-science-in-morocco
6. World History Encyclopedia. Water Clock of Al-Qarawiyyin (Replica). Istanbul Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam, 2023.
   https://www.worldhistory.org
7. Hill, Donald R. Islamic Science and Engineering. Edinburgh University Press, 1993.
8. Rashed, Roshdi. The Early History of Planetary Astronomy. Springer, 1996.
9. Saliba, George. Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance. MIT Press, 2007.
10. El-Bizri, Nader. “On the Cogency of the History of Islamic Science,” in Islamic Philosophy, Science, Culture, and Religion: Studies in Honor of Dimitri Gutas. Brill, 2012.
11. Dhanani, Alnoor. “Mechanical Clocks in the Muslim World: Historical Perspectives,” East Asian Science, Technology and Society, 2015.