Great Mosque of Kairouan
One of the oldest and largest mosques in North Africa.
The Great Mosque of Kairouan, also known as the Mosque of Uqba, is a mosque in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Kairouan, Tunisia. It serves as a model for all later mosques in the Maghreb and is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture, notable for the first Islamic use of the horseshoe arch.
- founder
- Uqba ibn Nafi
- location
- Kairouan, Tunisia
- key feature
- first Islamic use of the horseshoe arch
- current form
- largely from Aghlabid works in the 9th century CE
Lore & Background
Later Aghlabid emirs added bays and cupolas.
Reader's Guide
The Great Mosque of Kairouan holds immense significance as a model for later mosques in the Maghreb and as a center of education. Its university, with scholars teaching in the mosque, was a hub for Islamic thought and secular sciences, comparable to the University of Paris in the Middle Ages. The mosque's architecture, including its hypostyle prayer hall, marble-paved courtyard, and square minaret, influenced later Islamic buildings. Its fame and that of other holy sites in Kairouan helped the city develop and expand. With the city's decline from the mid-11th century, intellectual activity moved to the University of Ez-Zitouna in Tunis. The mosque remains a key monument of Islamic architecture, with its fortress-like enclosure, nine gates, and numerous columns admired by later travelers.
Did You Know?
- The mosque's minaret is considered a masterpiece and model among the most prestigious monuments of Muslim architecture.
- The mosque's university was compared to the University of Paris in the Middle Ages.
- The mosque features the first Islamic use of the horseshoe arch.
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