Abstract: | After a brief sketch of the political history of the Maghrib, that area of North Africa stretching from Libya to Morocco and Mauritania, the author identifies the most salient characteristics of Maghribi architecture's unity with the Islamic tradition, as well as pointing to factors of special emphasis or uniqueness that mark it as a recognizably Maghribi interpretation. Evidence of these characteristics can be found in monuments built from the end of the eighth century to the present day. The presentation of these materials pertaining to unity and variety is divided into five sections, each section dealing with one of the following aspects of the architecture of the region: types of buildings constructed; architectural elements (the courtyard, the aisled hall, arches, arcades, domes, minarets); materials; decorative elements; and structural principles incorporated in the buildings (modules, additive structure, transfiguration of structures and materials). Bibliogr., notes, ref. |