Madrasa Ennakhla ou Madrasa of the Palm ( ar, المدرسة السليمانية) is a former
madrasa
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
and one of the monuments of the
Ottoman era
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in the
medina of Tunis
The Medina of Tunis is the medina quarter of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
The Medina contains some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains dating from t ...
. It is named after the
palm tree
The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...
at the center of its
patio
A patio (, from es, patio ; "courtyard", "forecourt", "yard", "little garden") is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a structure and is typically paved. In Australia the term is expanded to include roofed stru ...
which still stands today.
Location
The madrasa is located near the
Al-Zaytuna Mosque
Al-Zaytuna Mosque, also known as Ez-Zitouna Mosque, and El-Zituna Mosque ( ar, جامع الزيتونة, literally meaning ''the Mosque of Olive''), is a major mosque at the center of the Medina of Tunis in Tunis, Tunisia. The mosque is the oldes ...
, at the
Souk El Koutbiya
Souk El Koutbiya ( ar, سوق الكتبية) is one of the souks in the medina of Tunis. It is specialized in the selling of books.
Location
This souk is located in the proximity of the Al-Zaytuna Mosque, near Souk El Fekka.
It is delimited ...
, and was built on the site of a
caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...
that used to sell
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
. The madrasa is also close to
Madrasa Slimania and
Madrasa El Bachia
Madrasa El Bachia ( ar, المدرسة الباشية) is one of the madrasahs of the medina of Tunis, located in the Rue des Libraires, near the Al-Zaytuna Mosque and in front of the Guachachine Hammam.
History
Madrasa El Bachia was built in 1 ...
. Those three madrasas nearing the Al-Zaytuna Mosque provided schooling and housing for the
University of Ez-Zitouna
Ez-Zitouna University ( ar, جامعة الزيتونة, french: Université Ez-Zitouna) is a public ancient university in Tunis, Tunisia. The university originates in the Al-Zaytuna Mosque, founded at the end of the 7th century or in the early 8t ...
students.
History
Madrasa Ennakhla is the second madrasa founded by
Al-Husayn I ibn Ali
Al-Husayn I ibn Ali, also known as Hussein I ( ar, حسين الأول; born in 1675 – 13 September 1740). He was the founder of the Husainid Dynasty, which ruled Tunisia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1957.
Biography
Husayn was born ...
and was constructed in 1714. It is of great archaeological and historical interest as its simple architecture is representative of traditional buildings used for student housing. It was the first among the three madrasas to be built and the closest to the Al-Zaytuna Mosque. Since its restoration in 1979 by the
National institute of Arts and Architecture, it is in a good state.
Description
The madrasa is composed of a main entrance, a patio, twelve rooms and a prayer hall (''masjid'').
The entrance consists of a wooden double door. The internal frame is made of
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
(') and the second frame is made of . The entrance also includes two '; the first is rectangular with flat wooden ceiling joists; the access to the second ''skifa'' is made by a door in the left wall of the first ''skifa''. The second ''skifa'' is smaller in size and is covered by a
vault
Vault may refer to:
* Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards
Architecture
* Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space
* Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored
* Burial vault (enclosure ...
.
The
patio
A patio (, from es, patio ; "courtyard", "forecourt", "yard", "little garden") is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a structure and is typically paved. In Australia the term is expanded to include roofed stru ...
has high
arch
An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it.
Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
es on stone columns with Turkish
capitals
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
on all four sides of an almost square courtyard. The
portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
s are covered with
El Haouaria
El Haouaria is a coastal town and commune in the Nabeul Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 9,273.
See also
*List of cities in Tunisia
This is the list of 350 cities and towns in Tunisia. In the list by governorate, c ...
stones. Each portico has three arches carved from the same stone. A glazed tile
cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
surrounds the upper walls of the patio.
Twelve rooms of different dimensions surround the patio on three sides. Their doors are framed with '. Small windows over the doors are used for ventilation and lighting.
The founder of Madrasa Ennakhla, Al-Husayn I ibn Ali, decorated the prayer hall's walls with richly carved
plaster
Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for Molding (decorative), moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of ...
as well as its
mihrab
Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...
. Its facade is the largest on the patio. At its center is the main door of the prayer hall, which is rectangular in shape and covered with arches. The upper part of the walls are decorated with gypsum carving making an eight-pointed star on either sides of a
pine tree
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...
. The center of the room's back wall has a hollow mihrab, with a covered half dome of carved
stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
decoration.
Sources
*
Association de sauvegarde de la médina de Tunis document
References
{{coord, 36.7971, N, 10.1718, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Ennakhla