Ksar Mosque
Encyclopedia
Ksar Mosque or Jemaâ Al Ksar, also of the Hanafi
rite, is a mosque
in Tunis
, Tunisia
.
Around 1598, it was attached to the Hanafi
by the Turkish conquerors.
and terra cotta
glazed in a Moorish style, and its eastern facade is decorated with big bows and horseshoes in the Fatimid style.
Access to the mosque is through a door under a covered walkway that opens into a courtyard elevated above the prayer hall. It is surrounded by a portico with columns and capitals such as Turkish Prayer Hall which is topped by arches supported by ancient columns and capitals. At the back of the hall, the mihrab, of remarkable size, is semicircular with seven niches separated by pilasters. It is surmounted by a Fatimid style fluted half-dome.
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
rite, is a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
.
History
Located in front of Dar Hussein (Bab Menara), it was built in the early 12th century. It was a royal mosque, probably built during the reign of Ahmed Ibn Kourassane (1100–1128).Around 1598, it was attached to the Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
by the Turkish conquerors.
Structure
The mosque has had a lot of building work and renovation. The minaret was rebuilt in 1647/48, and decorated with marbleMarble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
glazed in a Moorish style, and its eastern facade is decorated with big bows and horseshoes in the Fatimid style.
Access to the mosque is through a door under a covered walkway that opens into a courtyard elevated above the prayer hall. It is surrounded by a portico with columns and capitals such as Turkish Prayer Hall which is topped by arches supported by ancient columns and capitals. At the back of the hall, the mihrab, of remarkable size, is semicircular with seven niches separated by pilasters. It is surmounted by a Fatimid style fluted half-dome.