Sidi Mahrez Mosque , also known as Mohamed Bey El Mouradi Mosque , is a mosque in Tunis , Tunisia . It is an official historical monument.
61-586: This mosque is located in Medina area of the city. It was built by Mohamed Bey El Mouradi , son of Mourad Bey II in 1692 in honor of the patron-saint of Tunis Sidi Mahrez . It is strongly influenced by Ottoman architecture , showing similarities to the Sultan Ahmed II Mosque of Istanbul with a central dome with cupolas occupying the four corners of the square of the prayer hall. Polychrome tiles were imported from Iznik (Turkey) to cover
122-604: A bastion of Arab and Islamic culture resisting French influence. Some prominent members of the Algerian nationalist movement studied here, such as 'Abd al-Hamid ibn Badis , Tawfiq Madani , and Houari Boumédiène . After independence from France, reforms to the education system in 1958 and the creation of the University of Tunis in 1960 reduced the Zaytuna's importance. In 1964–1965 its status as an independent university
183-537: A cemetery. This may have been a Christian basilica, which provides support for the legend reported by Ibn Abi Dinar. A more recent interpretation by Muhammad al-Badji Ibn Mami suggests that the previous structures may have been part of a Byzantine fortification, inside which the Arab conquerors built their mosque. This hypothesis is also supported by Sihem Lamine. The saint is particularly venerated in Tunisia because it
244-576: A great central dome. The Husainid ruler Ali II ibn Hussein (1759–1782) had the Tourbet el Bey constructed in the south of the Medina as a mausoleum for his family, It is the largest funerary monument in Tunis. In the time of Muhammad III as-Sadiq (1859–1882) the walls of the Medina were in such bad repair that in some places they threatened to collapse. In 1865 he began demolishing them, along with
305-580: A group of Tunisian citizens, the mosque's former educational offices were reopened and it was declared an independent educational institution once again. The al-Zaytuna Mosque followed the design and architecture of previous mosques, particularly the Mosque of Uqba in Kairouan that was built in its current form a few decades earlier. The layout of the building and its interior is irregular, with many of its lines not quite parallel or perpendicular, but this
366-426: A kuttab or elementary school that taught youth how to read, write, and memorize religious texts. The system of teaching was not rigid: attendance was not mandatory and students could follow the courses of their choice. Students who followed a course and became knowledgeable enough to teach the subject on their own were granted a certificate called an ijazah by their instructor. Rich libraries were also attached to
427-485: A large part of the wall in the direction of Mecca and the grand pillars that support the central dome. The interior of the mosque was renovated in the 1960s. [REDACTED] Media related to Sidi Mahrez Mosque at Wikimedia Commons This article about a mosque or other Islamic place of worship in Tunisia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Medina of Tunis The Medina of Tunis
488-557: A mosque after its conquest in 79 Hijri. Under this explanation, it is assumed that Ibn al-Habhab subsequently enlarged or rebuilt the mosque and improved its architecture. The mosque owes its current overall form to a reconstruction under the Aghlabids , the dynasty that ruled Ifriqiya on behalf of the Abbasid caliphs in the 9th century. The work was begun during the reign of emir Abu Ibrahim Ahmad and completed in 864–865. As
549-526: A number of the Medina's historic gates: Bab Cartagena , Bab Souika , Bab Bnet and Bab El Jazira . Since the Hafsid era, madrasas had emerged in the medina of Tunis which appeared in Arab Orient style. It was established to serve Almohads by raising workers for public services. The Hafsid sultans took care of the establishment of madrasas, and the princesses participated in this effort as well as
610-421: A range of 0.5–1 m (2–3 ft)) well before the year 4000. This means that unless effective adaptation efforts such as sea walls can be constructed to deal with the sea level rise, damage and the potential destruction of Medina of Tunis is a matter of time. Al-Zaytuna Mosque Al-Zaytuna Mosque , also known as Ez-Zitouna Mosque , and El-Zituna Mosque ( Arabic : جامع الزيتونة , literally meaning
671-586: A result, the mosque's layout is also very similar to the Mosque of Uqba in Kairouan, which was also rebuilt by the Aghlabids earlier in the same century. A contemporary inscription at the base of the dome in front of the mihrab gives the date of this construction and names three individuals: 1) the Abbasid caliph al-Musta'in Billah , identified as the main patron; 2) Nusayr, a mawla of the caliph and probably
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#1732775840369732-432: Is not perceptible to a visitor. The building consists primarily of a trapezoidal courtyard ( sahn ) and a hypostyle prayer hall. The main difference between this mosque and the Kairouan mosque is the position of the minaret, which in this case was added at a much later period. The mosque is closely integrated into the urban fabric and most of the building's exterior is concealed by other neighbouring structures. Only on
793-461: Is superstitiously thought that if the site and its memory are profaned then a misfortune will happen; this includes a belief that when her relics are recovered Islam will end. This ancillary legend related to the discovery of the saint's relics is widespread in Sicily, however it is connected to other Saints as well. In 1402 king Martin I of Sicily requested the return of Saint Olivia's relics from
854-600: Is the medina quarter of Tunis , the capital of Tunisia . It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. The Medina contains some 700 monuments, including palaces , mosques , mausoleums , madrasas and fountains dating from the Almohad and the Hafsid periods. Founded in 698 around the original core of the Zitouna Mosque , the Medina of Tunis developed throughout the Middle Ages. The main axis
915-583: Is the military and the bourgeoisie (merchants and notables), and smaller communities such as Hafisa where the Jewish population have traditionally lived. The Muradid dynasty were great builders in the Medina. Hammouda Pasha (1631–1666) was responsible for the construction of many souks in the Medina, as well as many palaces, including the Dar Hammouda Pacha and the predecessor of the modern Dar El Bey . In 1655, he had Ottoman architects build
976-487: The shahada . The minbar (pulpit) next to the mihrab is one of the oldest existing minbars after the minbar of Kairouan, though only some of its side panels are still originals from the Aghlabid period, with the others dating from later renovations. The latest pieces date from 1583 in the early Ottoman period. The minbar is smaller than the Kairouan minbar, measuring 2.53 by 3.30 metres. The wooden panels are carved with
1037-658: The Hammouda Pacha Mosque in the Turkish style, with an elegant octagonal minaret, below which he constructed his family mausoleum. His son Murad II Bey (1666–1675) built the Mouradia Madrasah , dedicated to the Maliki school of Islamic law. Murad's son Mohamed Bey El Mouradi (1686–1696) built several monuments in Tunis including the ( Sidi Mahrez Mosque ), modelled on the mosques of Istanbul with
1098-559: The Ottoman period , both the Muradid and Husaynid dynasties restored and expanded the mosque and its associated institutions. This helped restore the mosque's prominence and its prestige as a center of learning. In 1637 an arcaded loggia was added to the mosque's exterior eastern façade by a patron named Muhammad al-Andalus ibn Ghalib, whose name suggests he was one of the moriscos expelled from Spain in 1609. From 1624 to 1812
1159-573: The Qubbat al-Bahu (or Qubbat al-Bahw ), the dome at the entrance of the prayer hall. The dome itself is dated more specifically to 991. The dates for these works are provided by a series of inscriptions around the Qubbat al-Bahu , but the names of the patrons themselves were erased at a later period, possibly when the Zirids declared independence from the Fatimids in the 11th century. From context,
1220-462: The Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik ordered the building. Modern historians have been divided over whether the foundation should be attributed to Ibn al-Habhab or to Ibn al-Nu'man. Most scholars support the second explanation and attribute the foundation to Ibn al-Nu'man in 698 CE. This is the strongest by evidence as it is unlikely that the city of Tunis remained a long time without
1281-437: The 13th century onward. The stucco decoration around the mihrab dates largely from 1638, and the stuccowork on the imposts of the columns dates from 1820. A few carved stucco panels along the upper walls of the central aisle, probably former windows, still date from the Aghlabid period. Inside the mihrab is a marble plaque covered in gold leaf and carved with an Aghlabid Kufic inscription with religious formulas such as
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#17327758403691342-413: The Abbasid caliph instead. The Aghlabid structure, in turn, is mostly obscured today by later additions and reconstructions. The sections that are best preserved from the 9th century are the interior of the prayer hall (though some of this was later rebuilt too) and the projecting round corner bastions at the northern and eastern corners of the mosque. There is no evidence that a minaret was attached to
1403-859: The Berber Caliph of Ifriqiya Abu Faris Abd al-Aziz II , who refused him. Even today the Tunisians, who still venerate her, believe that the dominion of their religion will fade when the body of the Virgin Olivia will disappear. Al-Zaytuna was the second mosque to be built in Ifriqiya and the Maghreb region after the Mosque of Uqba in Kairouan . The exact date of building varies according to source. Ibn Khaldun and Al-Bakri wrote that it
1464-525: The Mosque of Olive ), is a major mosque at the center of the Medina of Tunis in Tunis , Tunisia . The mosque is the oldest in the city and covers an area of 5,000 square metres (1.2 acres) with nine entrances. It was founded at the end of the 7th century or in the early 8th century, but its current architectural form dates from a reconstruction in the 9th century, including many antique columns reused from Carthage, and from later additions and restorations over
1525-621: The Spanish occupied Tunis and broke into the Zaytuna Mosque in 1534. After Tunisia gained independence from France in the 1950s the university's library was integrated into the National Libraries of Tunis. Administrative and curricular reforms to the institution were begun by Ahmad Bey in 1842. They continued in 1875 under Prime Minister Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi , who also expanded the al-Abdaliyah Library and opened it to
1586-633: The Youssef Dey and Hammouda-Pacha mosques, an Ottoman-inspired octagonal minaret. The Saheb Ettabaâ Mosque , built between 1808 and 1814, is the last mosque constructed in Tunis by the Husseinites before the French occupation. The palaces or the Dars are one of the most important historical monuments in the ancient city of Tunis, which were inhabited by politicians, wealthy class and dignitaries of
1647-487: The Zaytuna Mosque prior to the 14th century. During this time there were most likely courses being offered voluntarily by ulama (Islamic legal scholars), but not in an organized manner. For centuries, Kairouan was the early centre of learning and intellectual pursuits in Tunisia and North Africa in general. Starting from the 13th century, Tunis became the capital of Ifriqiya under Almohad and Hafsid rule. This shift in power helped al-Zaytuna to flourish and become one of
1708-662: The Zitouna University until the independence of Tunisia. It still hosts ceremonies marking the main dates of the Muslim calendar that are regularly attended by the President of the Republic. The Kasbah Mosque built between 1231 and 1235, was the second mosque to be built in the Medina, intended for the rulers themselves, who lived in the nearby Kasbah. It is distinguished especially by the dome in stalactites preceding
1769-503: The articulation of the Medina areas is not random, and houses are built according to clear sociocultural norms, codified according to complex types of human relationships . Many publications have detailed the development of the Medina model and system of prioritization of public and private spaces, residential and commercial, sacred and profane. The urban layout of the Medina of Tunis has the distinction of not obeying geometrical layouts or formal compositions such as gridlines . Nevertheless
1830-439: The base of the dome and above the capitals of some of the columns. The hypostyle prayer hall is divided into 15 aisles by rows of columns, 6 bays long, supporting horseshoe arches running perpendicular to the southeastern qibla wall. Each aisle is about 3 metres wide but the central aisle, leading to the mihrab (niche symbolizing the qibla), is wider than the others at 4.8 metres. Another transverse aisle runs in front of
1891-571: The capital of Ifriqiya , and under the Hafsid period it developed into a religious, intellectual and economic center. It was during the Hafsid period that the Medina as we now know it took on its essential form. It gradually acquired a number of buildings and monuments combining the styles of Ifriqiya , Andalusian and Oriental influences, but also borrowing some of the columns and capitals of Roman and Byzantine monuments. With an area of 270 hectares (670 acres) (plus 29 hectares (72 acres) for
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1952-426: The centuries. The mosque hosted one of the first and greatest universities in the history of Islam. Many Muslim scholars graduated from al-Zaytuna for over a thousand years. Ibn 'Arafa , a major Maliki scholar, al-Maziri , the great traditionalist and jurist , and Aboul-Qacem Echebbi , a famous Tunisian poet, all taught there, among others. One legend states that it was called "Mosque of Olive" because it
2013-504: The city. As a coastal heritage site, Medina of Tunis is vulnerable to sea level rise . In 2022, the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report included it in the list of African cultural sites which would be threatened by flooding and coastal erosion by the end of the century, but only if climate change followed RCP 8.5 , which is the scenario of high and continually increasing greenhouse gas emissions associated with
2074-424: The district of the kasbah) and nearly 110,000 inhabitants, the Medina has one-tenth of the population of Tunis and a sixth of the urbanized area of the agglomeration. The complex organization of the urban fabric fueled an entire colonial literature of the dangerous Medina, anarchic and chaotic, and the territory of ambush. However, since the 1930s, with the arrival of the first ethnologists, studies have revealed that
2135-672: The dome has a sophisticated construction and Jonathan Bloom describes it is one of the finest architectural works from this period of western Islamic architecture . The dome is ribbed and rests on an octagonal base, which rests in turn on a square supporting structure. The ornamentation includes carved moldings , decorative blind arches and niches, pilasters , and polychrome mosaic or ablaq stonework in red, white, and black stone. The arches and windows have horseshoe arches and voussoirs of alternating white and red stone. Arabic inscriptions in Fatimid floriated Kufic are found around
2196-449: The eastern side of the mosque is there an external façade, fronted by an arcaded loggia from 1637. The adjoining rooms and structures around the rest of the mosque's perimeter include shops, libraries, and maqsura s (areas reserved for specific individuals or groups during prayer). The courtyard is accessible from the exterior via seven doorways and is surrounded by galleries supported by arcades of arches and columns. The gallery on
2257-449: The film Halfaouine by Férid Boughedir . Nowadays, every district retains its culture and rivalries can be strong. Thus, the northern suburb supports the football club Espérance Sportive de Tunis while the southern side is the district of the rival Club Africain . The Medina has also witnessed a social segmentation: the districts of Tourbet el Bey and the kasbah are wealthier, with a population of judges and politicians, Pasha street
2318-529: The initiatives of the scholars and the imams in this field, and several madrasas emerged as a link to the patrons. The establishment of schools continued after the annexation of Tunisia by the Ottoman Empire , but the purpose of these madrasas had changed over time. Since 17th century when the Ottomans arrived, they employed these madrasas to spread their Hanafi maddhab . However in the 20th century,
2379-430: The juxtaposition of large plots (600 m ) and joint ownership. The concept of public space is ambiguous in the Medina where the streets are considered as the extension of houses and subject to social tags. The notion of individual ownership is low and displays in the souks often spill out onto the highway. This idea is reinforced by the area of a shop (about 3 m ) and bedroom (10 m ). In the case of domestic architecture,
2440-490: The local Bakri family took charge of the mosque's care and occupied the position of the mosque's imam. The present-day minaret was entirely rebuilt in 1894 and imitates the Almohad style of the Kasbah Mosque 's minaret further west. Tunisian presidents Bourguiba and Ben Ali carried out major restoration work and rehabilitation, especially during the 1960s and 1990s. There is little information about teaching at
2501-493: The major centres of Islamic learning, and Ibn Khaldun, the first social historian in history was one of its products. The flourishing university attracted students and men of learning from all parts of the known world at the time. Along with disciplines theology – such as exegesis of the Qur'an ( tafsir ) – the university taught fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence ), Arabic grammar , history , science and medicine . It also had
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2562-744: The mihrab and by its minaret that recalls that of the Koutoubia of Marrakech and is the highest in the Medina. The Ksar Mosque of the Hanafi rite, located opposite the Dar Hussein (Bab Menara), was built in the 12th century under the Khurasanid dynasty . The Youssef Dey Mosque functioned first as an oratory before becoming a mosque in 1631, and is the first mosque of the Ottoman-Turkish period. The Hammouda-Pacha mosque, built in 1655,
2623-508: The more a building is set back from the shops, the more it is valued. The concept of withdrawal and privacy is paramount. The late introduction of a sewer system means that much waste water still flows through the streets of the Medina. The largest houses and noble places are generally located in the district with the highest elevation, the Kasbah quarter. The roof terraces of the Medina are also an important place for social life, as illustrated by
2684-517: The mosque at this time. The reasons for this omission are unclear. It suggests that minarets were not yet a standard feature of congregational mosques or that they were still considered a controversial innovation at the time. Between 990 and 995 further works were carried out under the Zirids , clients of the Fatimid caliphs. These works included the addition of galleries around the courtyard and
2745-414: The north-south and east-west axes are comparable to a Roman cardo and decumanus (Sidi Ben Arous, Jemaa Zitouna and Pasha Streets) that intersect at the court of Zitouna mosque , house of prayer and studies. The thoroughfares include the main streets; secondary streets and finally, small cul-de-sacs. Sometimes entire private spots are reserved for women. The built environment is generally characterized by
2806-558: The northwest corner of the courtyard. Built in 1894, the minaret is 43 meters (141 ft) high and imitates the decoration of the Almohad minaret of the Kasbah Mosque with its limestone strap-work in a sebka pattern on a background of ochre sandstone. The central entrance to the prayer hall is covered by a dome, the Qubbat al-Bahu , added by the Zirids around 991. Measuring about 12 metres in height and 4 metres in width,
2867-421: The overseer of the works; and 3) Fathallah or Fath al-Banna', the architect and chief builder. Another inscription, along one of the mosque's courtyard façades, provides the same information. The Aghlabid emir himself (Abu Ibrahim Ahmad) is not mentioned in these inscriptions, suggesting that he may not have been officially involved in the construction and that Nusayr was directing the works directly on behalf of
2928-408: The prestige of the older Mosque of Uqba in Kairouan. Significant restoration work was carried out by the Hafsid rulers, under al-Mustansir in 1250 and under Abu Yahya Zakariya in the early 14th century, adding features such as ablution facilities and replacing some of the woodwork. Other repairs and restorations were carried at multiple points during this era. The mosque's first attested minaret
2989-402: The public. In 1896 new courses were introduced such as physics , political economy , and French , and in 1912 these reforms were extended to the university's other branches in Kairouan, Sousse , Tozeur , and Gafsa . Until the 20th century the students were mostly recruited from Tunisia's wealthiest families but afterwards its recruitment broadened. Under French colonial rule it turned into
3050-424: The qibla wall. There are around 160 columns and most of them are antique spolia, most likely taken from the site of Carthage . The space in front of the mihrab is covered by a well-preserved dome from the Aghlabid period (9th century), with Kufic inscriptions from the same period. The mihrab itself was redecorated in later periods and most of the prayer hall's decoration, apart from the antique columns, dates from
3111-493: The role of these madrasas are mostly confined to accommodation of the students studying in Ez-Zitouna University . The Medina contains most of the great mosques of the capital, which were all built before the French protectorate. The main Zitouna Mosque was built in 732 in the heart of the Medina and then rebuilt in 864. It was also for a long time an important place of culture and knowledge, acting as home to
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#17327758403693172-455: The southern side, preceding the prayer hall, dates from the 10th-century Zirid restoration and is supported by spoliated antique columns and capitals, while the three other galleries currently date from the 17th and 19th centuries, with columns imported from Italy by the prime minister Mustapha Khaznadar in the mid-19th century. The pavement of the courtyard itself consists of antique marble plaques, also spolia. The square minaret rises from
3233-426: The university. The manuscripts covered almost all subjects and sciences, including grammar, logic , documentations , etiquette of research, cosmology , arithmetic , geometry , minerals , vocational training , etc. One of its famous libraries, al-Abdaliyah, included a large collection of rare manuscripts that attracted scholars from abroad. Much of the library's original collection was dispersed or destroyed when
3294-572: The warming of over 4 °C. , and is no longer considered very likely. The other, more plausible scenarios result in lower warming levels and consequently lower sea level rise: yet, sea levels would continue to increase for about 10,000 years under all of them. Even if the warming is limited to 1.5 °C, global sea level rise is still expected to exceed 2–3 m (7–10 ft) after 2000 years (and higher warming levels will see larger increases by then), consequently exceeding 2100 levels of sea level rise under RCP 8.5 (~0.75 m (2 ft) with
3355-554: The works can be attributed to the patronage of the Zirid emir Al-Mansur ibn Buluggin . The inscriptions also provide the names of four craftsmen: Ahmad al-Burjini, Abu al-Thana, 'Abdallah ibn Qaffas, and Bishr ibn al-Burjini. Under the Hafsids , who ruled during the 13th to 15th centuries, Tunis became the main capital of Ifriqiya for the first time. This led to an increase in the Zaytuna Mosque's importance and allowed it to overtake
3416-518: Was abolished by President Habib Bourguiba and it was relegated to being a theological college for the University of Tunis. For years afterward, under the rule of both Bourguiba and his successor Ben Ali , the Zaytuna educational institution was kept officially and physically distinct from the Zaytuna Mosque itself. In 2012, after the Tunisian revolution and in response to a court petition by
3477-410: Was also built under Hafsid patronage in 1438–1439. Its appearance is known from old photographs: it had a cuboid shape (having a shaft with a square base) and was crowned with an arcaded gallery and a polygonal turret or lantern at its summit. In 1534 Spanish forces occupied Tunis and broke into the mosque, raiding its libraries and destroying or dispersing many of its manuscripts. During
3538-521: Was between the mosque and the centre of government to the west in the kasbah . To the east this same main road extended to the Bab el Bhar . Expansions to the north and south divided the main Medina into two suburbs north ( Bab Souika ) and south ( Bab El Jazira ). Before the Almohad Caliphate , other cities such as Mahdia and Kairouan had served as capitals. Under Almohad rule, Tunis became
3599-399: Was built in 114 Hijri (circa 731 CE ) by Ubayd Allah ibn al-Habhab . Al-Bakri, however, also mentions a mosque being built by Hasan ibn al-Nu'man , who led the conquest of Tunis and Carthage, in 79 Hijri (circa 698 CE). Ahmed ibn Abu Diyaf and Ibn Abi Dinar, attributed the order to Hasan ibn al-Nu'man in 84 Hijri (703 CE), who used it as a place of prayer. Another source states that
3660-422: Was built on an ancient place of worship where there was an olive . Another account, transmitted by the 17th century Tunisian historian Ibn Abi Dinar , reports the presence of a Byzantine Christian church dedicated to Santa Olivia at that location. Archeological investigations and restoration works in 1969–1970 have shown that the mosque was built over an existing Byzantine-era building with columns, covering
3721-782: Was the second mosque of the Hanefite rite built in Tunis while the Sidi Mahrez mosque is the largest mosque of this type in the country. Built from 1692 to 1697, it is Ottoman-inspired and recalls some Istanbul mosques such as the Blue Mosque (erected between 1609 and 1616) and the Yeni Valide (completed in 1663). The El Jedid Mosque , built by the founder of the Hussein dynasty Hussein the Ist Bey between 1723 and 1727, has, like
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