Great Mosque of Taza

De Great Mosque of Taza (Arabic: الجامع الكبير, romanized: jama'a al-kabir) be de most important religious building insyd de historic medina of Taza, Morocco. Dem found am insyd de 12th century by de Almohad caliph Abd al-Mu'min, ebe de oldest surviving example of Almohad architecture. Na de Marinids expand am insyd de late 13th century wey ebe renovated by de 'Alawi sultan al-Rashid insyd de 17th century.

 History 

Na dem build de Great Mosque of Taza for de orders of de Almohad sultan Abd al-Mu'min insyd de period after 1142 CE, around de same time dat he conquer de city. Taza, wey dey occupy a strategic location for de main road between Morocco den Algeria, na ebe de first major city de Almohads conquer outsyd dema initial mountain domains wey dem serve as one of dema earliest bases after Tinmel. Na dem conquer dema future capital of Marrakesh insyd 1147. Accordingly, de Great Mosque of Taza be de oldest surviving monument of Almohad architecture.

Dis original mosque get a nearly square floor plan wey dey measure about 32 by 33 metres. Na ein prayer hall be wider dan na ebe deep: e get either seven anaa nine naves wey dey run perpendicular to de qibla (southeastern) wall between rows of arches den four transverse aisles wey dey run parallel to de qibla wall. De last aisle, directly in front of de qibla wall, na dem distinguish am by ebe slightly wider, as na de middle nave wey lead to de mihrab. Dis form a "T" insyd de plan, wich na ebe a recurring feature insyd oda medieval mosques insyd dis region.  Overall, na de original Almohad layout of de mosque be highly similar to de layout of de Tinmal Mosque de Almohads build soon afterwards.

Na dem enlarge de mosque under de Marinid dynasty, during de reign of Abu Yaqub Yusuf. Na work start insyd 1292 wey e end insyd October de next year. (Anaa insyd 1294 according to Jonathan Bloom.) Dis expansion add two more side naves (one for de western edge den anoda for de eastern edge), wey dey make de mosque wider, den four more aisles to de south, wey dey make de prayer hall deeper. Na dem replicate de "T" plan by dem make de last southern aisle larger. Abu al-Hasan, wey build chaw madrasas across Morocco, sanso build a madrasa near de mosque hie insyd Taza insyd 1324 (while na he still be governor during ein poppie ein reign), though today ebe mostly ruined. Unusually, de Marinids sanso add a huge second courtyard (el-sahn el-kebir), almost as large as de entire mosque einself, for de mosque ein east flank. Na dem bury de Marinid sultan Abu al-Rabi' insyd dis courtyard upon ein death insyd 1310. 

Na de mosque san be de object of patronage per after 1665, wen na de 'Alawi leader Moulay Rashid briefly make Taza ein main base wey he build de Dar al-Makhzen (royal palace) insyd de south syd of de old city. Moulay Rashid restore se mosque wey he add a southern gallery to de grand courtyard make e serve as a "summer" mosque.

 References 

 Read further 

 Terrasse, Henri (1943). La grande mosquée de Taza. Paris: Les Éditions d'art et d'histoire.

 External links 

Category:Buildings den structures dem plete insyd 1172
Category:Religious buildings den structures dem plete insyd de 1170s
Category:Mosques insyd Morocco
Category:12th-century mosques insyd Africa
Category:Almohad architecture
Category:Marinid architecture
Category:Buildings den structures insyd Fès-Meknès
Taza
Category:12th-century establishments insyd Morocco
Category:2025 Wiki Dey Love Ramadan Contributions