Great Mosque of Kairouan

De **Great Mosque of Kairouan** (Arabic: جامع القيروان الأكبر), dem sanso know am as de **Mosque of Uqba** (جامع عقبة بن نافع), be a mosque wey dey situate insyd de UNESCO World Heritage town of Kairouan, Tunisia wey ebe one of de largest Islamic monuments insyd North Africa. 

De Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi establish am insyd de year 50 AH (670AD/CE) for de founding of de city of Kairouan, de mosque dey occupy an area of over .  Ebe one of de oldest places of worship insyd de Islamic world, wey ebe a model give all later mosques insyd de Maghreb. Ein perimeter, of about , dey contain a hypostyle prayer hall, a marble-paved courtyard den a square minaret. For addition to ein spiritual prestige, de Mosque of Uqba be one of de masterpieces of Islamic architecture, notable among oda things for de first Islamic use of de horseshoe arch.

Extensive works under de Aghlabids two centuries later (9th Cent.AD/CE) give de mosque ein present aspect. De fame of de Mosque of Uqba den of de oda holy sites for Kairouan help de city make e develop den expand. De university, dey consist of scholars wey teach insyd de mosque, na ebe a centre of education both insyd Islamic thought den insyd de secular sciences. Dem fi compare ein role for de time to dat of de University of Paris insyd de Middle Ages. Plus de decline of de city from de mid-11th century, de centre of intellectual thought move go de University of Ez-Zitouna insyd Tunis.

## Location den general aspect

E locate insyd de north-east of de medina of Kairouan, de mosque be insyd de intramural district of Houmat al-Jami (literally "area of de Great Mosque"). Dis location correspond originally to de heart of de urban fabric of de city Uqba ibn Nafi found. However given de natural lay of de land dem cross by chaw tributaries of de wadis, de urban development of de city spread southwards. Human factors wey dey include Hilalian ein invasions insyd 449 AH (1057 AD) lead to de decline of de city wey e halt development. For all dese reasons, na de mosque wich once occupy de center of de medina wen dem first build am insyd 670 be now for de easternmost quarter wey dey abut de city walls.

The building be a vast slightly irregular quadrilateral wey dey cover sam 9,000 m2. E be longer (127.60 metres) for de east syd dan de west (125.20 metres), den shorter for de north syd (72.70 metres) dan de south (78 metres). De main minaret be centered for de north. 

From de outsyd, de Great Mosque of Kairouan be a fortress-like building plus ein 1.90 metres thick massive ocher walls, a composite of well-worked stones plus intervening courses of rubble stone den baked bricks. De corner towers dey measure 4.25 metres for each syd be buttressed plus solid projecting supports. Structurally dem give de soft grounds subject to compaction, de buttressed towers add stability to de entire mosque. Despite de austere façades, de rhythmic patterns of buttresses den towering porches, sam dem surmount by cupolas, give de sanctuary a sense of striking sober grandeur.

## Architecture den decoration

### Exterior

#### Enclosure

File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_western_wall.jpg|Wall den porches for de west facade (south syd)
File:Entrée_de_la_Grande_Mosquée_de_Kairouan.jpg|Close view of one of de entrances of de west facade
File:Part_of_the_southern_facade_of_the_Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan.jpg|View of de middle of de southern facade
File:Bab_Lalla_Rihana.jpg|Gate of Bab Lalla Rihana (late thirteenth century)
File:Partie_inférieure_du_porche_de_Bab_Lalla_Rihana,_Grande_Mosquée_de_Kairouan.jpg|Close view of de lower part of Bab Lalla Rihana
File:Arcature_aveugle_2,_Grande_Mosquée_de_Kairouan.jpg|Blind arcade wey dey decorate de upper part of Bab Lalla Rihana


#### Courtyard


File:Courtyard_of_the_Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan.jpg|View of de courtyard for de syd of de prayer hall facade
File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_prayer_hall_facade.jpg|Porch dem top plus a ribbed dome wey dey rise insyd de middle of de south portico of de courtyard
File:Kairouan_Mosque_Courtyard_with_columns.jpg|Courtyard dem see from one of de arched galleries
File:The_Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan,_eastern_portico_of_the_courtyard.jpg|Portico wey locate for de eastern syd of de courtyard
File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan,_eastern_portico_of_the_courtyard.jpg|Interior view of de eastern portico of de courtyard
File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_gallery.jpg|Interior view of de western portico of de courtyard


#### Details of de courtyard

File:Cadran_solaire_horizontal,_Grande_Mosquée_de_Kairouan.jpg|De horizontal sundial wey locate insyd de courtyard
File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_sundial.jpg|One of de courtyard ein capitals dem surmount by a small vertical sundial
File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_courtyard_columns.jpg|Detail of arches den columns of de north portico of de courtyard
File:Kairouan_Great_Mosque_courtyard_cistern.jpg|View of de impluvium wich dey collect de rainwater den dey feed de underground cistern
File:IMGP7538.JPG|Focus for de rainwater collecting basin
File:Puits_Mosquée_de_Kairouan.jpg|Focus for one well of de courtyard


#### Minaret


File:Grande_Mosquée_de_Kairouan,_vue_du_minaret_depuis_la_cour.jpg|Minaret dem see from de courtyard
File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_-_Minaret_door.jpg|Door of de minaret
File:Great_Mosque_Minaret_-_Kairouan,_Tunisia.jpg|View of de second den third storeys of de minaret
File:Kairouan_great_mosque_inscription.jpg|Close view of one of de Roman stones (plus Latin inscriptions) dem reuse for de base of de minaret
File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_Minaret_Wall.jpg|Wall den windows of de south facade of de minaret
File:Mosquée_oqba_Kairouan_by_JM_ROSIER.jpg|Minaret dem see for night


### Interior

#### Prayer hall


File:Kairouan_Mosque_Gallery.jpg|View of de gallery wich dey precede de prayer hall
File:Une_des_portes_de_la_salle_de_prière_de_la_Grande_Mosquée_de_Kairouan.jpg|One of de seventeen carved-wood doors of de prayer hall
File:Porta_-_Gran_Mesquita_de_Kairuan.jpg|Close view of de upper part of de main door of de prayer hall
File:Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan_prayer_hall.jpg|View of de central nave of de prayer hall
File:Secondary_naves_of_the_prayer_hall,_Great_Mosque_of_Kairouan.jpg|View of two of de secondary naves of de prayer hall
File:Mihrab2GrandeMosqueKairouan.jpg|View of de mihrab wey locate insyd de middle of de qibla wall of de prayer hall


##### Columns den ceiling

##### Mihrab den minbar

##### Maqsura

## Role insyd Muslim civilisation

For de time of ein greatest splendor, between de ninth den eleventh centuries AD, na Kairouan be one of de greatest centres of Islamic civilisation wey ein reputation as a hotbed of scholarship cover de entire Maghreb. During dis period, na de Great Mosque of Kairouan be both a place of prayer den a centre for teaching Islamic sciences under de Maliki current. One fi conceivably compare ein role to dat of de University of Paris during de Middle Ages.

For addition to studies for de deepening of religious thought den Maliki jurisprudence, de mosque sanso host chaw courses insyd secular subjects such as mathematics, astronomy, medicine den botany. Na de transmission of knowledge be assured by prominent scholars den theologians wich include Sahnun ibn Sa'id den Asad ibn al-Furat, eminent jurists wey contribute greatly to de dissemination of de Maliki thought, Ishaq ibn Imran den Ibn al-Jazzar insyd medicine, Abu Sahl al-Kairouani den Abd al-Monim al-Kindi insyd mathematics. Thus, de mosque, headquarters of a prestigious university plus a large library wey dey contain a large number of scientific den theological works, na ebe de most remarkable intellectual den cultural centre insyd North Africa during de ninth, tenth den eleventh centuries.
## References


## Read further
* Néji Djelloul, 2000. *Kairouan, the Great Mosque*. Editions Contrastes.
* Paul Sebag, 1965. *Great Mosque of Kairouan*. New York Macmillan.
* John D. Hoag, 1987. *Islamic architecture*. Rizzoli.
* Jonathan M. Bloom, 2002. *Early Islamic art and architecture*. Ashgate.
* G. T. Rivoira, 2009, *Moslem Architecture. Its Origins and Development*. ASLAN PR.

## External links

* Great Mosque of Kairouan (Qantara Mediterranean Heritage)
* Video of the mihrab of the Great Mosque of Kairouan