Large mosque of Kairouan

The Large mosque of Kairouan (rear RTL جامعالقيروانالأكبر) or mosque Oqba Ibn Nafaa (rear RTL جامععقبةبننافع) is one of principal the Mosquée S of Tunisia.

Raised by Oqba Ibn Nafaa starting from 670 (year 50 of the hégire), whereas the town of Kairouan is founded, it extends on 900 m and is considered, in Moslem Occident, like the ancestor of all the mosques of the the Maghreb.

Under the Aghlabides, the fame of the Large mosque and other sanctuaries of Kairouan makes that the city develops and repopulates itself little by little. The Université consisted of scientists who meet in the Large mosque is a training center as well for the instruction of the Moslem thought as for profane sciences. One can compare his role with that of the Université of Paris to the Moyen-âge. With the decline of the city, the training center intellectual moves towards the Université Zitouna of Tunis.

Construction

The actual position of the mosque goes back to the Dynastie of Aghlabides (except some partial restorations and some posterior additions). It is the subject previously of several rebuildings at the rate/rhythm of the successive invasions of Kairouan. Except the Mihrab, no element is former to the 9th century.

Little time after its construction, the mosque is destroyed during the occupation Kairouan by the Berbères which are initially carried out by Kusayla (towards 690). It is rebuilt by the Arab emir Hassan Ben Noman approximately ten years later. With the increase in the population of Kairouan, Hichâm ibn Abd Al-Malik, Caliph omeyyade of Damas, makes carry out work in the city (towards 723) and makes cut down (except for the mihrab) then to rebuild the mosque.

Under the reign of the sovereigns aghlabides, Kairouan is with its apogee and the mosque benefits from this period of calm and prosperity. In 836, Ziadet-Allah Ier makes rebuild the mosque again. In 863, Abou-Ibrahim increases the oratorical , with three Travée S towards north, and adds the Coupole above the entry. In 875, Ibrahim II built three more spans with depend on the court which is also cut down on the three other sides by double galleries. Consequently, the mosque will undergo nothing any more but minor modifications or restorations.

Description

The Large mosque of Kairouan is a building with the paces of fortress which is essential as much by the stones of 1,90 meters thickness size whose its walls as by the reinforcements are built, the full towers and the solids Contrefort S projecting which shoulder them and consolidate them. It is a longer Quadrilatère irregular (138 meters) on the side of the main entrance that opposite side (128 meters) and less broad (71 meters) on the side of the Minaret that opposite side (77 meters).

One can reach the court by one of the six side doors and then discover a quadrilateral (approximately 60 meters × 40 meters) surrounded by galleries supported by column S of various Marbre S, Granit or porphyry and which is borrowed, like those of the room of the prayers, with ancient monuments (in particular coming from Carthage). Close to the center, one finds a water collector of Pluie, which filters water before its storage in the Citerne located under the court, and a Sundial.

Being used at the same time as turn of guet and for the call to the Prayer, the minaret, made up of 3 decreasing levels, dominates the building top of its 31,5 meters and sat on a square basis of 10,5 side meters. Built by the governor omeyyade Bishr Ibn Safouan towards 725 and completed by the princes aghlabides at the 9th century, it is the oldest minaret of the world.

The room of prayer, whose access is done by fourteen doors, is divided into seventeen naves of eight spans comprising more than 400 columns similar to those of the court. On the right Minbar, pulpit to be preached oldest of the Islamic world 9th century, made up of almost 300 parts carved out of wood to Teak, is the will maksoura , beautiful up to date fence allowing to the dignitaries beings isolated from the other faithful ones. A Légende tells that one could not count the innumerable columns of the Large mosque without becoming blind.

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