معلم الزليج | The Zellige Master of Marrakech
"A zellige tile master discovers passion with an architect who comes to study Moroccan mosaics."
معلم الزليج
The Zellige Master of Marrakech
الفصل الأول | Chapter One
أَصْنَعُ الزَّلِيجَ فِي مَرَّاكُشَ مُنْذُ خَمْسٍ وَثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً.
I have made zellige in Marrakech for thirty-five years.
جَاءَتْ مُهَنْدِسَةٌ مِعْمَارِيَّةٌ تُرِيدُ التَّعَلُّمَ.
An architect came wanting to learn.
"الزَّلِيجُ أَجْمَلُ فَنٍّ إِسْلَامِيٍّ."
"Zellige is the most beautiful Islamic art."
الفصل الثاني | Chapter Two
كَانَتْ فِي الخَمْسِينَ، بِعُيُونٍ تَرَى الهَنْدَسَةَ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ.
She was in her fifties, with eyes that see geometry in everything.
"كَيْفَ تَصْنَعُ هَذِهِ الأَشْكَالَ المُعَقَّدَةَ؟"
"How do you make these complex shapes?"
"بِالصَّبْرِ وَالدِّقَّةِ."
"With patience and precision."
الفصل الثالث | Chapter Three
أَرَيْتُهَا كَيْفَ أَقْطَعُ كُلَّ قِطْعَةٍ بِيَدِي.
I showed her how I cut each piece by hand.
"كُلُّ قِطْعَةٍ فَرِيدَةٌ."
"Each piece is unique."
"مِثْلُ البَشَرِ."
"Like humans."
الفصل الرابع | Chapter Four
"نَعَمْ... وَأَنْتَ فَرِيدٌ أَيْضًا."
"Yes... and you are unique too."
أَوْقَفْتُ العَمَلَ وَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهَا.
I stopped working and looked at her.
"شُكْرًا... لَمْ يَقُلْ لِي أَحَدٌ هَذَا مُنْذُ زَمَنٍ."
"Thank you... no one has said this to me in a long time."
الفصل الخامس | Chapter Five
"زَوْجَتُكَ؟"
"Your wife?"
"مَاتَتْ قَبْلَ سَبْعِ سَنَوَاتٍ."
"She died seven years ago."
"آسِفَةٌ... أَنَا مُطَلَّقَةٌ مُنْذُ عَشْرٍ."
"I'm sorry... I've been divorced for ten."
الفصل السادس | Chapter Six
"الزَّلِيجُ يُعَلِّمُنَا شَيْئًا..."
"Zellige teaches us something..."
"مَاذَا؟"
"What?"
"أَنَّ القِطَعَ المُخْتَلِفَةَ يُمْكِنُهَا أَنْ تَصْنَعَ جَمَالًا مَعًا."
"That different pieces can make beauty together."
الفصل السابع | Chapter Seven
تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ، فِي الوَرْشَةِ بَيْنَ آلَافِ القِطَعِ.
That night, in the workshop among thousands of pieces.
اِكْتَشَفْنَا أَنَّ أَجْسَادَنَا تَتَشَابَكُ كَالزَّلِيجِ.
We discovered that our bodies interlock like zellige.
"أَنْتِ القِطْعَةُ الَّتِي كُنْتُ أَبْحَثُ عَنْهَا."
"You are the piece I was looking for."
الفصل الثامن | Chapter Eight
صَنَعْتُ لَهَا لَوْحَةَ زَلِيجٍ خَاصَّةً.
I made her a special zellige panel.
فِيهَا اسْمُهَا بِالخَطِّ الكُوفِيِّ.
With her name in Kufic script.
"هَذِهِ تَحْمِلُ حُبِّي فِي كُلِّ قِطْعَةٍ."
"This carries my love in every piece."
الخاتمة | Conclusion
الزَّلِيجُ فَنُّ الصَّبْرِ وَالدِّقَّةِ.
Zellige is the art of patience and precision.
وَحُبُّنَا مَصْنُوعٌ بِنَفْسِ الطَّرِيقَةِ.
And our love is made the same way.
قِطْعَةً قِطْعَةً، يَوْمًا بَعْدَ يَوْمٍ.
Piece by piece, day after day.
من حكايات مراكش From the Tales of Marrakech