| Kasbah Mosque | |
|---|---|
جامع القصبة | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Location | |
  Shown within Tunisia | |
| Coordinates | 36°47′48″N10°10′04″E / 36.79667°N 10.16778°E /36.79667; 10.16778 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Qasim |
| Type | Mosque |
| Style | Hafsid,Moorish |
| Established | 1230–1231 |
| Completed | 1233 |
Kasbah Mosque (Arabic:جامع القصبة ;French:Mosquée de la Casbah) is amosque inTunis,Tunisia. It is a listed as a Historical Monument.
This mosque is located in theMedina, in theKasbah district which is still home to government buildings.
The mosque was commissioned byAbu Zakariya Yahya (r. 1230–1249), in 1230 or 1231, shortly after he declared his independence from the Almohads in 1229.[1][2] He became the founder of theHafsid dynasty which ruledIfriqiya (roughly present-day Tunisia) until the 16th century. The architect was Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Qasim.[3] Theminaret was completed in 1233.[1][3] It was the firstFriday mosque to be built in Tunis afterAl-Zaytuna Mosque.[1] The mosque was built in the Kasbah, the citadel or seat of government in the city which was first established by the Almohads.[4] Shortly before the mosque's foundation, Abu Zakariya had begun construction of new palace for himself in the Kasbah.[3]
Initially, the mosque was a place of prayer reserved for the rulers who lived in the Kasbah, but it later became a public mosque for theFriday prayer open to the whole city.[1][5] The mosque was renovated underOttoman rule in 1584, at which point its woodenminbar was replaced with a stoneminbar.[6][7]
The mosque has a rectangular prayer hall that is deeper than it is wide, which was unusual for Almohad-style mosques of the era.[3] The prayer hall is divided into seven "naves" between rows ofhorseshoe arches, with nine arch spans for each nave. The arches are supported onmarble columns with Hafdsid-periodcapitals. The hall is roofed by a series ofgroin vaults.[3] Themihrab (niche symbolizing thedirection of prayer) in the southeast wall is decorated with marble paneling and flanked by decorativecolonettes,[3] although most of it is no longer preserved in its original condition.[2] Above and in front of the mihrab is a dome sculpted in intricatemuqarnas (stalactite-like decoration). This decorative technique was common in more western regions of North Africa but themuqarnas dome of this mosque is almost unique in Ifriqiya (Tunisia) and was unparalleled in other Hafsid architecture.[2]
The design of the minaret is directly inherited from Almohad architecture further west. In particular, it resembles the design of the minaret of theKasbah Mosque inMarrakesh,Morocco, in both its overall form and in the decoration of its facades. The four facades are covered in two differentsebka or lozange-like motifs. However, unlike the mosque in Marrakesh, which was made in brick, the main structure and the decoration of this minaret are made of stone, reflecting the ancient local traditions ofstone cutting.[2] The upper part of the minaret is decorated with triple horseshoe-arch-shaped windows surrounded by a zone covered withtiles. The minaret's style influenced the look of later minarets in Tunisia and was often copied. Examples of this influence are the minaret of the 17th-centuryGreat Mosque of Testour and the modern minaret of theAl-Zaytuna Mosque.[6][8]
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