Great Mosque of Tlemcen

The Great Mosque (al-Jami' al-Kabir) was begun by Almoravid Yusuf ibn Tashfin around 1082 and expanded in the early twelfth century. The slim minaret was added by the Zayyanid rulers in 1236 and is decorated with the geometric brickwork and green ceramic tiles characteristic of Tlemcen. Inside, the prayer hall is a forest of horseshoe arches; the mihrab and its delicate pierced dome are the climax.

Non-Muslims are generally allowed in outside prayer times — quiet behaviour and modest dress are essential. The exterior, with the slim brick minaret rising over the medina alleys, is one of the iconic views of Tlemcen. Combine with the Mechouar Mosque and Palace, just a few minutes away.

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A story
The great pierced-stone cupola in front of the mihrab is one of the most extraordinary surviving works of medieval Islamic architecture in the Maghreb — a vault hollowed from a single block, fretted into a star of plaster muqarnas and pierced with small openings that scatter the light. It was added by the Almoravid sultan Ali ibn Yusuf in 1136 and is the only one of its kind in North Africa to have come down to us intact.