A ribat is a small fortification enclosed by a wall, typically combining an entrance, living quarters, storehouses, a watchtower and, in larger examples, four to eight corner towers and a mosque. The form first appeared along the frontier of the early Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, built to house murabitun, volunteer soldiers guarding the border, and later spread along the frontier with the Byzantine Empire. Ribats served three overlapping roles, housing soldiers during the early conquests, functioning as caravanserais that protected trade routes, and operating as centers of piety for isolated Muslim communities. The Ribat of Monastir in Tunisia is among the surviving examples.
Facts
Building Type LocationMaghreb frontier of the early Muslim conquest 1 Classification
Standing Status Building Type
Building Type (category) Connections
Has Building Type
In Style
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Ribat
Lead section, first sentence, building type
initially designating a small fortification built along a frontier
Lead section, first sentence, place of origin
built along a frontier during the first years of the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb
Lead section
A ribāṭ (Arabic: رِبَـاط; hospice, hostel, base or retreat) is an Arabic term, initially designating a small fortification built along a frontier during the first years of the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb to house murabitun 'volunteer military personnel', and shortly, after they also appeared along the frontier with the Byzantine Empire, where they attracted converts from Khorasan, an area that would become known as al-ʿAwāṣim in the ninth century. Ribat fortifications later served to protect commercial routes as caravanserais, to serve as centers for isolated Muslim communities, and as places of piety.
In Style: Islamic Architecture, Historical meaning
Classically, ribat referred to the guard duty at a frontier outpost to defend the Islamic world.
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