Great Mosque of Tlemcen

Great Mosque of Tlemcen- الجامع الكبير لتمسان
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
District	Tlemcen
Province	Tlemcen
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Mosque
Location
Location	Algeria, Tlemcen
Municipality	Tlemcen
Shown within Algeria
Geographic coordinates	34.8837°N 1.3105°W / 34.8837; -1.3105
Architecture
Type	Mosque
Style	Islamic, Almoravid dynasty
Minaret(s)	1

The Great Mosque of Tlemcen (Arabic: الجامع الكبير لتلمسان, el-Jemaa el-Kebir litilimcen) was first built in Tlemcen, Algeria in 1082. It is one of the best preserved examples of the Almoravid dynasty's architecture. It was built under sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin, but substantially reconstructed and enlarged by his son Ali ibn Yusuf. An inscription dates this reconstruction to 1136. Sultan Yaghmoracen (1236-1283), the founder of the Abdalwadid dynasty of Tlemcen added a section with a minaret and a dome in the 13th century. Next to the mosque there used to be an Islamic court (Makhama) and an Islamic university of considerable fame.

Gallery

• 
  View of the minaret and the courtyard (sahn)
• 
  View of the interior prayer hall (late 19th-century photo)
• 
  View towards the mihrab of the mosque

See also

• Lists of mosques
• List of mosques in Africa
• List of mosques in Algeria
• History of Medieval Arabic and Western European domes

References

• Jairazbhoy, R.A. (1972), ‘An Outline of Islamic Architecture', p. 92
• Michell, M. et al. (eds.) (1978), ‘Architecture of the Islamic World', Thames and Hudson, London, p. 219
• M. Hattstein and P. Delius (eds.) (2000), 'Islam Art and Architecture', Konemann, Cologne

External links

• MWNF (Museum With No Frontiers), Discover Islamic Art
• Great Mosque of Tlemcen at Archnet