Tinmel

The Mosque of Tinmal is named after the mountain village Tinmal (also Tinmelt ) named, located to the west of the High Atlas in Morocco. The historically significant site was the nucleus of the Almohadenreiches. The restored and accessible for tourists mosque dates from the mid 12th century.

Location

Tinmal is beyond a - after rains heavily swelling - mountain creek about 100 kilometers southwest of Marrakech in about 1600 meters altitude on the road over the pass Tizi- n'Test direction Taroudant.

History

The history of the mosque is closely linked with the rise of the Almohads in the first half of the 12th century, here in a Ribat ( Islamic fortress border ) began. In memory of the about 10 -year exile mountain Ibn Tumarts, the founder of the dynasty, and his followers, his successor, Abd al - Mu'min founded around 1153/54, the Mosque of Tinmal. But soon after its completion, lost the remote mosque in importance and fell - until it gently in the 80s of the 20th century with the help of two German architects, that was without a reconstruction of the roof, restored.

Architecture

Exterior

The outer walls of the formerly accessible from three sides and only about 48 × 43 -foot Moscheebaues made ​​of rammed earth and are - as usual in Morocco - held totally unadorned; the holes to hold the cross pieces of the scarf framework are clearly visible. A special feature of the Mosque of Tinmal are two small (possibly unfinished ) towers in the corners of the qibla wall, as echoes of the traditional architecture of southern Morocco with their residential castles ( Tighremts ) can be understood and the built just a few years later Koutoubia Mosque ( Marrakech accords) return in another form.

Minaret

In contrast to the mosque (possibly also unfinished ) minaret is made ​​of - more or less well -hewn - stones erected; it tends to occur out of the building of the mosque and rises above the mihrab niche - an exception among the Almohad minarets. Up to three simple blind arches with rectangular sheets coverages ( alfiz ) the minaret of Tinmal is designed largely unadorned. The three blind arches can be interpreted as a quote of the same subject at the minaret of the Sidi Oqba Mosque in Kairouan (Tunisia ), where, however - because of the early construction period - the Alfiz - framing of the arches is still missing.

Interior

In contrast to the early mosques pillars of Western Islam ( Kairouan, Córdoba) dominate in the Mosque of Tinmal - as in most mosques in Morocco - from brick masonry piers with horseshoe arches resting inside the mosque. These were formerly plastered white and had neither base nor capital; the pillars in front of the transept, however, had columns templates and capitals of stucco, which are still preserved in parts. The nave and the transept facing the Qibla wall are slightly broadened, resulting in a read in plan T- shape results - a hallmark of all Almohad mosques. Apart from the transept with its beautiful - partly decorated with shell ornaments or Flechtbandwerk - arcades ( Lambrequinbogen, multi -lobed arches ) and muqarnas stucco arches on the ceiling, the interior of the mosque is largely undecorated - the ( Friday ) prayer, the faithful should not be distracted. The arc of the inside completely unadorned, but polygonal broken mihrab niche is outside surrounded by a large Flechtbandornament; above the portal can be seen in the spandrels horseshoe arches, made of stucco and rosettes. Links of the mihrab niche is the (former) input for the imam, right the compartment for the wooden minbar, which however is not obtained.

The damaged old wooden doors of the mosque to be stored in a corner of the mosque area.

Importance

Only a short time after - in later times repeatedly rebuilt - Great Mosque of Taza built the Mosque of Tinmal deemed to be preserved original forerunner of the well-known not only in the Islamic world Almohad mosques of Marrakesh, Seville and Rabat.

Since 1995, the Mosque of Tinmal appearing on the provisional list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.