Great Mosque of Mahdiya
| Great Mosque of Mahdiya | |
|---|---|
| الجامع الكبير في المهدية | |
General view of the mosque
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 Shown within Tunisia
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| Basic information | |
| Location |
 Mahdia, Tunisia
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| Geographic coordinates | 35°30′14″N 11°04′19″E / 35.503896°N 11.072054°ECoordinates: 35°30′14″N 11°04′19″E / 35.503896°N 11.072054°E |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Country | Tunisia |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Mosque |
| Architectural style | Hypostyle Mosque, Fatimid |
| Date established | 916 |
The Great Mosque of Mahdiya (Arabic: الجامع الكبير في المهدية) is a mosque that was built in the tenth century in Mahdia, Tunisia.
Located on the southern side of the peninsula on which the old city was located, the mosque was built in 916 CE (303-304 in the Islamic calendar), after the founding of the city within the walls built by the Caliphate on an artificial platform "reclaimed from the sea" as mentioned by the Andalusian geographer Al-Bakri. The other buildings erected nearby at that time have since disappeared.
The first Fatimid imam, Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah, founded Mahdia in 909. He chose to build the mosque in an area of the walled city near to his palace.
The fortified appearance of the monument shows the pioneering spirit of religious architecture built in Ifriqiya in the early centuries of the Arab conquest. Mahdia was also designed as a city of refuge from the growing hostility of the Sunni population towards the imposition of Shia Islam by the Fatimids. However, the two large corner towers of the mosque are not designed for defense, but as tanks for collecting rainwater. It is likely that, at least for some time, they were fed by the water line that served the al-Mahdi palace from underground sources at Miyyanish, six kilometers from the city.
The mosque was originally clad in marble, but much of this was removed during episodes when it was reduced to ruins and later rebuilt. It is possible that the Pisan church of San Sisto was built using marble that had been stripped from the mosque. The building underwent several changes over the centuries, especially during the Ottoman period, after the destruction of the city by the Spanish in 1554.
Between 1961 and 1965 the mosque was completely renovated by the French architect Alexandre Lézine, while respecting the overall layout and structure of the tenth century building. The monumental access gate and portico in the north are preserved from the original structure, while the rest is the result of previous reconstructions.
The building consists of a large irregular quadrilateral, about 85 by 55 metres (279 by 180 ft). The south side, which houses the mihrab, is slightly longer than the north side. Seen from the exterior, the mosque looks like a fortress because of its massive walls without openings except in the facade, the extensive use of stone and especially the presence on the facade of the two truncated square towers at the northeast and northwest corners. Since the mosque does not seem to have ever included a minaret, it is likely that the call to prayer was from one of the towers.
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Wikipedia