mail : Marzak.Andalous@gmail.com
GSM : (+212)0661352090
FAX : (+212)0534894398
Adress : 390 Lot. Ennamae Q. I. Bensouda Fes Maroc
Bibliography
Marzak Ahmed is not only a well- knowing and an admirer of the artistic Zellige, but also an artist who is well known in many countries of the world, by his well performed job and good reputation as well for instance, in morocco ( his birth place), France, Italy . . . and even in Canada and the united states of America.
He is in satiable for the art of Zellige and the best proof are his long journeys to satisfy his eagerness and also to fulfill his duty, as an artist, to take his handicraft to pts admirers wherever they are.
Nothing else can replace this man's love and thirst for this art, taking into consideration his great artistic sensitivity. He was born on 12 June 1955 in the old medina of Fez, where he grew up. In 1970, He worked, as a beginner, with other Zellige masters (Maalems) in cooperation.
In 1976, He traveled to France where he stayed about a year and a half. After that, he came back to his country (Morocco) and continued his job in the cooperation.
Here is some realization he supervised:
- In 1984 realization of a villa in California in the United States of America.
- In 1985 realization of the Moroccan consulate in New York.
- In 1986 realization of the royal palace in Agadir
- In 1987 realization of the Mamounia hotel in Marrakech.
- In 1987 instant work in FAO in Italy.
- In 1988 realization of the royal palace in Marrakech.
- In 1989 realization of the royal palace in Tetouan.
- In 1990 realization of the royal palace in Tangier.
- In 1991 realization of the royal palace in Nador.
- In 1991 realization of the Agadir airport.
- In 1992 realization of the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca.
- In 1993 he made proof of his outstanding ability and talent, realization the park of Bordeaux in France.
- In 1994 realization of Errachidia airport
- In 1995 his great talent of artisan can be noticed in the royal palace in Fez – Batha-
- In 1996 realization of Fez saiss airport.
- In 1997 realization of the headquarters of the international aviation organization in Canada.
- Between 1998 and 1999 realization of the royal palace in Erfoud.
And since 2000, he has become the president of the cooperation of Maalem Zelligers Company.
Right after, he founded his own company called "Marzak Andalous" in 2002, he worked at Moulay Abdellah Mausoleum in Fez and now he is performing some work at the old royal palace in Agadir.
- In 2006 realization hotel mazagan in el jadida morocco.
 |  |  |
The Zellige of Fez.
Zellige is kind of art which is typically Moroccan. It relies on the first place, on burnt soil that is colored. It is of paramount importance in the architecture of palaces and monuments
Zellige is in the first place an artistic product of a modest origine and arranged by the great ability of the maalem. In fact, it has to do with little squares of 10 x 10 cm made of burnt soil and covered with dye (colorings). These squares are manually sized using heavy hammers( MENQACH).
Which are totally in contrast with the soft object obtained. As a second step, these pieces compose a motif which is in total harmony with the traditional traced regulations of the Islamic arts.
A mosaic…? Surely not, but outstanding little ornaments well placed together taking into consideration the diversity of their size and color.
It is an extremely beautiful and incredible piece of art on the wall that it covers or the gate that decorates. In addition to the palaces and houses it haunts.
In fact, all that the maalem of Zellige needs is: gypsum, hands and feet, sun, a piece of wood, Oven (traditional), mineral colorings, a big hammer and o lot of personal knowledge and ability to perform the task.
Zellige is typically artisan's work which is impossible to fulfill wing machines because the combination of its simple ornaments provides a variety of endless (infinite) of drawings and shapes.
On the basis of a whole drawing, the maalem of Zellige, so as to perform the task, deals with about 300 models, thanks to the arrangement of the colors and shapes of the whole motif.
This task of Zellige is necessarily done is group works in which every member is specialized in tracing, splitting (cutting) and of course gathering …. Etc.
The striking paint in every moment we watch a Moroccan artisan at work, be it in big project or in their daily workshops inside the medina, is the contrast between the artistic arrangement Fulfilled and the kind of the raw material used. It is totally simple and recycled, in addition to the tools that are traditionally made of already used objects. This perfect material simplicity is in complete harmony with the perfect techniques brought to the zenith through long centuries of practice. Everything relies on the knowledge of the matter which is gained through tough and long lasting learning processes.
This job, including the secret of learning and acquiring in workshops which takes place at the early stages of a child's life, is traditionally transmitted from father to son, master to pupils. First, the beginner starts performing the simplest tasks relying on his observation of the activity that is taking place around him. Second, He witnesses gradually and progressively all the steps of the job beginning from the valueless to the most valuable. After that, he becomes a real maalem, a commander of great experience who is in charge of a number of workers.
He knows perfectly their work which is out of his own personal experience. Those, who I met are all glad people, fond of their deeds and at ease in their job because they are all well experienced people.
The only disadvantage that confronts this traditional mode of learning this job is the lack of scholastic access for these workers and the adaptation possibilities to their work, taking into consideration the great transformations (changes) that our society undergoes.
Therefore, the maalems have never been to school and can only speak one language.
However, these limits don't hinder them to be effective and influential figures of the Moroccan society and own a local political power as well.
Zellige is used, in the first place, to protect the wall to a man's height and its drawings are essentially geometrical.
The Moroccan Maalems of Zellige are not afraid to show their recipes to the public for the simple reason that material (raw material), tools, and the way to prepare them are of no value while you lack these splitting techniques which are particular.
They need a great deal of practice with a lot of examples and experience.
The brilliant geometrical galaxies of different colors placed in the wall, floors…etc
Palaces, medersas, mosques or muse that dress the fountains of the medina all come from the soil.
 |  |  |
The raw material
The gypsum of Fez which is part of the Zellige squates composition is extracted as blocks and immersed in a big basin which is called (ZOUBA) for a day and night. Men bake this paste with their arms and feet so as to unify it, raw it and of course make it less hard and stiff. The soil reduced to paste and split into pieces and blocks, stiffened again under the sun beams and then made flat with a bat and after with a piece of wood. It is devided into parts of 10 x 10 cm. in the following stage, these parts are exposed to sun beams to completely dry in a relatively long time according to its need. So this is the first time that it is burnt.
The brightening surface of the squares is dived quickly into a colouring before the second burning phase, these colorings that contain sand and lead, give a different paint, thanks to a specific substance (Oxyde) which is added.
The mixture of lead + sand + specific substance (Oxyde) is shaped in dust and dived in water which helps dying and coloring. The oven is warmed up from the bottom. We put the pieces to be burnt according to a definite order:
At the bottom, those that are to be exposed directly to the heat such as the white ones, where as, at the top, the other sensitive ones like the green ones. In big and important projects, the same color may occupy the whole oven, that's the reason why we don't pay much attention to the impact of the heat on the colors.
In Fez, every color is burnt a lone just like the one used in the production of squares. After twenty-four hours, we take the squares out of the oven, we control them and classify them according to their colors
 |  |  | |
 |  |  |
The split
The split of Zellige, and the composition of a construted part, is one of the paramount moments of the whole operation. The artisan draws the maximum of the pieces using drawn and cut moulds op paper. These pieces are drawn one after the other and interrelated so that the artisan gains benefit from the maximum of this previous raw material, bearing in mind that it is out of tough work.
On a small shape of forty centimeters height, on which a small table-like shape of metal or marble is put, the sizes in quick motions the forms already shaped. Thanks to the piece of metal or marble. Zellige don't break the split are very fine. On the one hand, the maalem moves the square to fit the strikes of the hammer. On the other hand, he strikes in constant and regular movements with his hammer, putting his elbow on his knee to perfectly adjust his strikes.
The small Zellige pieces are finally lime stones that are used in sides to give a wide surface to the cement. After that, these pieces are rearranged again.
 |  |  |  |
The composition
All the pieces, just like in puzzle games, are rearranged according to their shape and colour.
The artisan puts them, one after the other, in opposite directions, on a perfectly smooth floor which is called (LLOUH). This latter is traced with lines and circles that serve as a guide, in the whole construction. This operation is very delicate for the simple reason that you must not forget or mistake any piece, bearing in mind that sometimes some shapes and forms are identical but presented in different colors and of course can be noticed once passed the other way around.
The artisan groups the pieces of Zellige one inside the other to compose each part of the whole task. He works without paying attention to his colors, without following any line or any drawings on the floor, just kneeling down and concentrating on the task.
When these pieces are in shape in the workshop, they are devided again in big baskets according to their colors and drawings. In Fez, these big baskets of Zellige are displaced on donkeys because cars can not move inside the Medina. Sometimes,in big projects, thousands of little pieces of Zellige are transported.
After the composition and the assembling of different parts, it is covered with a mixture of cement and a paste that joins the pieces. As a second step, the artisan pours cement on the puzzle and let dry, when the cement is dry, the whole part is finished and its size is 100 x 60 cm so as to be easy to transport, but some parts are very big, as an example, those of the fountains.
New creation
The Muslim art has created a long age, wealthy (rich) and expressive, taking into consideration the characteristics of the proportion that burst as usual from the geometrical necessity, the simple geometrical forms and the primitive will be assembled with emptiness not recuperation in one motif able, by symmetrical report, to pave an ideal infinite surface.
This assembly seres as a repertoire in the artist's service and this contributes to the news creation of other motif generated from very simple compositions and moved to be more complicated. This art witnessed exceptional changes which contributed to the welfare of Zellige.
Morocco inherited some knowledge of the andalousian civilization and its artisans and saved jealously the techniques of Zellige that require a lot of precise work. It is owed to the development of the geometrical art. And the medersas of Fez are the great examples of the extra-ordinary compositions that some houses, of the some period, inherited as well.
Haunted by the idea of unity, the Muslim art, in each of its kinds emphasized the relation ships and the lines among the shapes and the forms.
The learning process of the Zellige techniques goes on and takes place in family workshops, most of the time moved from fathers to son. Everyone saves his own secrets of knowledge that are transmitted from generation to generation.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Notre Blog de moi : http://www.Zellige.blog.fr
Mon Site Web : http://www.Zellige.ma
Fountain Escalier Mur Artisan Fresque Mosaique or Mosaïc Colonne Piscine Hotel Palais Palas Chemine Table Façade Interieur Exterieur balcone Sol Salon Riad or Ryad Hamam Hammam Baldi Bejmat marrakech maroc bougeoir meuble carrelage zelliges zellige zellij artisanat zallige zallij marocain zalije deco Marzak Andalous decoration tradition commerce Promontion carreaux zellige mesure fassi Fes Casablanca Tanger Agadir Atelier de zellige a fes
carreaux argile pose de zellige marocain, zellij moroccan , zellij morocco , zellige andalousie , zellige andalous , table en zellige , tables zellige
carreaux argile pose de zellige marocain, zellij moroccan , zellij morocco , zellige andalousie , zellige andalous , table en zellige , tables zellige
