Koutoubia Mosque

The Koutoubia Mosque (Arabic جامع الكتبية, dt mosque of the booksellers ) is the largest mosque in Marrakech. It dates from the second half of the 12th century and is one of the oldest mosques in Morocco.

Architectural History

After the conquest of Marrakesh in 1147, Abd al- Mu'min, the first Almohad caliph began the construction of the mosque on the site of the Palace Ksar el- Hajar (Eng. stone palace ) of the Almoravids. The building history is complex: the Almohad building was shortly after its completion - allegedly because of misalignment of the qibla wall - replaced in 1157 by the current, even more inaccurate oriented construction of similar dimensions. The Koutoubia mosque was - opened in 1158 - still without a minaret. Yaqub al - Mansur, the grandson of Abd al - Mu'mins, was first as vizier, then converted as caliph the interior of the mosque in part and build the finished only in 1199 the tower still existing minarets. Its popular name from the mosque later; He comes from a bookseller - Souk, which was located near the mosque.

Architecture

Mosque

Is Unlike most Moroccan mosques - mostly built of rammed earth - Koutoubia not embraced by other buildings situated - freestanding and surrounded by palm tree gardens and open spaces - strangely, a bit off the Medina of Marrakech. The basic dimensions of about 25,000 believers comprehensive mosque construction will be approximately 90 × 60 meters (for comparison: Mezquita de Córdoba approximately 179 × 130 meters). The behind a framed by pillars arches and - prescribed because of the Koran ( Sura 5, verse 6) washes - equipped with a large fountain pool courtyard ( sahn ) located prayer room consists of a pillared hall with 17 parallel naves and seven transepts. The on the mihrab niche oriented toward the nave is slightly wider than the other ships. The transept immediately in front of the qibla wall is also widened - hence the plan is often referred to as "T -shaped". In contrast to the rest of the mosque with the qibla wall is built of stones and - similar to the Mosque of Tinmal - provided with squat corner towers and a similar structure above the mihrab.

Minaret

Along with the lantern and the crowning ball shaft ( Jamur ) which is placed in a corner of the mosque construction and - for lack of structuring elements ( cornices, pilasters ) - almost 77 meters high minaret appears monolithic with a side length of 12.8 meters. The tower - built from only rough-hewn sandstone blocks - with the exception of the cornerstones and the decorative fields.

At the bottom, facing the town decor field there is a simple, from a small central window opening and two lateral glare windows with common Alfiz Mount existing motif that occurred already at the minaret of the Mosque of Tinmal and the minaret of the Sidi Oqba Mosque of Kairouan can be returned leads. Further design fields surrounding the window openings, which - because of the circumferential inside inclined ramps - is arranged at different heights; they are captured by large decorative blind arches, which are covered in turn by a rectangular frame ( Alfiz ). The upper bounded by a circumferential ledge area of ​​the tower shaft, however, shows arranged at the same height windows with unified border. The parapet of the platform is - visible from afar, and for the first time occurring in the Maghreb - adorned with a revolving about 2 meters high geometric ceramic mosaic; also runs a battlement.

The lantern tower is the same design on all four sides and repeat - above a small potentially infinite diamond pattern - the motif of the revolving tile mosaic with battlements; a ribbed dome forms the conclusion. The top of the minaret is made of a gold-plated spherical rod ( Jamur ), which probably originally existing symbolic significance is not known, and a lateral ' gallows ', where previously the green flag of the Prophet was raised before the Friday prayers and religious holidays. A wide spiral ramp, which served during the construction period as a transport route for the required building material, leads to six superimposed rooms inside the tower on the upper platform. Until the introduction of a speaker system may be the muezzin rode the long and arduous journey on horseback to the top.

Importance

The minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque is the landmark of the city of Marrakech and the entire country; every night it is illuminated and is still visible up to 30 km away. Together with the Giralda in Seville, the Hassan Tower of Rabat and the Minaret the Kasbah mosque in Marrakech, it became the model for almost all later minarets of the entire Maghreb.

Legend

The Sufi saint Sidi Abu l-' Abbas Sabti (1130-1205) practiced as a scholar of Islam in Marrakech great influence and is revered to this day. In one of the stories told about him mythical stories he rises as the patron of the poor every night on the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque and only comes back down, when all the blind beggars of the city food and shelter for the night have found.

Equipment

In order that the faithful not be distracted during prayer, is the Koutoubia mosque - like most mosques in the Maghreb - decorated very sparsely in the interior. Images and ritual objects did not exist.

The minbar ( the pulpit of the Imam ) was made ​​around 1125/30 in Cordoba on behalf of Ali ibn Yusuf ibn Tashfin for a almoravidischen predecessor; he is about 4 meters high and encrusted about 3.50 meters deep and elaborately decorated with ivory, ebony and sandalwood. The side panels adorn - potentially infinite - Geometric Flechtbandornamente; the stairs on the other hand are adorned with a variety of more traditional blind arcades with horseshoe arches. Today is still up in the 1960s used Minbar after an extensive restoration exhibited in a side room of the El Badi Palace.