Author(s)

K. EL HARROUNI & A. EL HAMMOUMI

Abstract

Er-Rachidia or Ras Cherratine Madrasa, a listed Islamic heritage building in Fez Medina built by Sultan Moulay Rachid in 1670, was the residence and school for students who attended the nearby Al Quaraouiyine University, which is one of the oldest universities in the Islamic world. The Madrasa was restored in 2008 by the Al Omrane Group and other local authorities. This article introduces the treatment programme provided for restoration of the vertical and horizontal structures. It also presents the main results of activities carried out in Ras Cherratine Madrasa in the context of the collaborative project NIKER (new integrated knowledge-based approaches to the protection of cultural heritage from earthquake- induced risk). These activities include visual inspection of the main damage and problems requiring intervention, mechanical tests for material and wall element characterization, the seismic performance of the masonry building derived from ambient vibration tests, seismic vulnerability analysis and structural modelling of the heritage building. The article concludes by emphasizing that this rich Islamic heritage architecture is vulnerable and then gives some objectives and justification of the need for intervention.

Keywords

ambient vibration tests, Islamic heritage architecture, restoration, seismic vulnerability, structural modelling