Sidi Mahrez Mosque, also known as Mohamed Bey El Mouradi Mosque, is a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
in
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
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,
Tunisia
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, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
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, capital = Tunis
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, ...
. It is an official historical monument.
Localization
This mosque is located in
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
area of the city.
History
It was built by
Mohamed Bey El Mouradi Mohamed Bey El Mouradi (died October 14, 1696) was a Muradid leader and Bey of Tunis from 1686 until his death.Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''op. cit'', p. 76Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''op. cit'', p. 83 He was the eldest son of Murad II Bey.Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''op. cit'', p. 60 ...
, son of
Mourad Bey II in 1692 in honor of the patron-saint of Tunis
Sidi Mahrez
Sidi Mahrez ben Khalaf or Abu Mohamed Mahrez ben Khalaf ben Zayn ( ar, سيدي محرز بن خلف; 951–1022) was a Tunisian Wali, scholar of the Maliki school of jurisprudence and a Qadi. He is considered to be the patron-saint of the city of ...
. It also contains the tomb of Sidi Mahrez in a corner of the mosque.
Structure
It is strongly influenced by
Ottoman architecture
Ottoman architecture is the architectural style that developed under the Ottoman Empire. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century and developed from earlier Seljuk architecture, Seljuk Turkish architecture, with influen ...
, showing similarities to the
Sultan Ahmed II Mosque of
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
with a central dome with
cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome.
The word derives, via Italian, from ...
s occupying the four corners of the square of the prayer hall.
Polychrome tiles were imported from
Iznik (Turkey) to cover a large part of the wall in the direction of
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
and the grand pillars that support the central dome.
The interior of the mosque was renovated in the 1960s.
Bab Suika-Suker Square, Tunis, Tunisia, ca. 1899.jpg
Mihrab Mhamed Bey.png
Salle de priére Mhamed Bey.png
Sidi Mehrez.ogv
Mosquée de Mohammed Bey 11.jpg, External view of the mosque
Entrée de le mosquée.JPG, Entrance of the mosque
Détail ornemental.JPG, Decoration of the dome
Sidi Mehrez 13.jpg, decoration of the mosque
References
External links
Mosques in the medina of Tunis
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1692
1692 establishments in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman architecture in Tunisia
Articles containing video clips
17th-century mosques
{{Tunisia-mosque-stub