Cont'd
I was lucky. The following day was a bright and sunny day. We visited three points of interest. The first was the site of the two reservoirs built in the 9th century by the Aghafid governors of Kairouan to solve the city's problem for the supply of fresh water..
This is the first reservoir that now remains. Originally, there were 15.
This is the second. The two were connected through some underground channels so that their levels can be adjusted.
This is exit point where the water from this reservoir may flow into the other one.it's truly amazing that they could already do more than a thousand years ago without any of our modern construction equipment.
The site of the reservoirs have now been turned into a park.
We had to climb the steps of this 3-storey building to have a view of the reservoirs.
The top of the building gives a good view of the surroundings: no tall buildings anywhere within sight
on the first floor, there was a shop selling various souvenirs
an elaborate lamp
various kinds of chilli sauce
ornate cups and saucers, perfumes, metal wares, candies etc.
A view of the outside from the building
A Tunisian was selling scarves on the back of a camel outside the ticketing office. A member of a tour group from China asked to sit on the camel for taking a photo.
This is the ticketing office
This is a plan of the city of Kairouan
Horse carts are still being used in this city for transporting goods
A roadside cafe
The floor of the public buildings are often set with mosaic tiles
We're on our way to the Great Mosque
We're on our way to the Great Mosque
Closer now to the Great Mosque of Kairouan
We're almost there
The
mosque was built on a raised platform on a trapezium shaped site over
some 9,000 square meters. Built shortly after the founding of the city
by general Uqba ibn Nafi from 670 CE, it became the model of the all
later mosques in the Magreb, including that the Zitourna Mosque in
Tunis. The Great Mosque of Kairouan is one of the most impressive and
largest Islamic monuments in North Africa as well as a great centre of
learning, and not just about Islam but also secular sciences. Its status
had been compared to that of University of Paris in the Middle Ages.
But with the decline of the influence of the city in the 11th century,
the centre of intellectual thought gradually shifted to the University
of Ez-Zitouna in Tunis.
This is the famous Great Mosque of Sidi-Uqba of Karouan. Some claim that seven pilgrimages to this great mosque would be considered equivalent of one pilgrimage to Mecca. it was the site of one of the greatest Islamic and Qur'anic learning centre in North Africa. In the Middle Ages, was considered the third holiest city in Islam after Mecca and Medina but today many consider the city as the fourth holiest in Islam. It's built like a fortress, a style adopted by many later North African mosques including the Zitouna in Tunis: its 1.9 m thick external wall is further strengthened by reinforced by solid buttresses. Its 28-meter eastern side is about 3 meters longer than its western side and its 78-meter south side is longer than its north by 5 meters, giving it a total areas of about 9000 square meters.However, Berber invasion around 690 CE destroyed it almost completely and it had to be rebuilt in 703 by the Ghassanid general Hasan ibn al-Nu'man and had to be expanded again 724-728 owing to the rising numbers of Muslim . That was done by Bishr ibn Safwan under orders from the Hisham ibn Abd al-Maliks, the Umayyad Caliph in Damascus. To make room for expansion,the whole mosque except the mihrab was rebuilt. The mosque underwent further renovation in 774 when some additions were made under the Abbasid governor Yazid Ibn Hatim and again in 836 under Ziadet-Allah I when the mihrab's ribbed dome on squinches was raised. Around 862-863, Abul Ibrahim enlarged the oratory, with three bays to the north, and added the cupola over the arched portico which precedes the prayer hall. In 875 Ibrahim II built a further three bays, thereby reducing the size of the courtyard and the addition of double galleries further limited its three other sides after which its shape had stabilized. For 5 years beginning 1967, major restoration works were done under the direction of the National Institute of Archeology and Art. The renovated mosque was officially reopened during the celebration of Mawlid of 1972. The greater part of the minaret dates from the time of the Aghlabid princes in the ninth century. It consists of regular layers of carefully cut rubble stone which gives it stylistic unity.
the sun's shadows on the walls through the arches makes it look as if the windows are covered by reed flowers.
A capital of a Roman column, probably taken from Carthage.
A beautifully crafted rainwater collector on the ground called an "impluvium" is believed to be the work of the Muradid
Bey Mohamed Bey al-Mouradi (1686–1696). It's an an ingenious system that
ensures the capture of water because it has of the slightly sloping surface of the courtyard. The little indentures will catch any impurities flowing down to the central basin furnished with horseshoe
arches sculpted in white marble. Freed from such impurities, the
water will then flows into an underground cistern supported by seven meters high
pillars.
The mihrab of the prayer hall
The horizontal view of the mihrab: bathed in a golden light. This central nave, a sort of triumphal alley which leads to the
mihrab,is significantly higher and wider than the other sixteen
aisles of the prayer hall. It is bordered on each side of a double row
of arches rested on twin columns and surmounted by a carved plaster
decoration consisting of floral and geometric patterns and is lit by chandeliers in gold.
One could see that the columns are all made of different materials and shape. That's because they were taken from other old ruins.
Again, the colors of the columns are all slightly different.
Another view of the prayer hall. its horseshoe arches are supported by a total of 414 columns of marble, granite or porphyry taken from
ancient sites in the country such as Sbeïtla, Carthage, Hadrumetum and
Chemtou. The capitals resting on the column
shafts offer a wide variety of shapes and styles e.g. Corinthian, Ionic,
Composite, etc The white marble come from Italy, the ed Porphyry from Egypt whilst the greenish or pink marble come from the quarries of Chemtou in the north-west
of current Tunisia. Some capitals were carved for the mosque, but
others were recycled from other Roman or Byzantine buildings (dating from the second to
sixth century). The hypostyle hall is divided into 17 aisles of eight bays, the central
nave is wider. So are the bay along the wall of the qibla.They
cross with right angle in front of the mihrab. This style, called "T
shape",is also found in two Iraqi mosques in Samarra (around 847) and is imitated by many North African and Andalusian mosques.
One can see that there are some extra prayers mats for the faithfuls.
Rows and rows of columns on the left of the prayer hall
The same columns viewed from the outside
One sees here the prototype square minaret typical of Magreb mosques, built between the 8th and 9th century. It's 31.5 high and is right in the middle of the northern façade of the courtyard, sits on a square base
of 10.7 meters each side No one especially enemies can enter it from the outside.The ribbed dome on top on the highest level of the 3-level base third was built the much later than the other levels. The
first and second stories are surmounted by rounded merlons which are
pierced by arrowslits..
A central view of the minaret: The minaret served as a watchtower, as well as to
call the faithful to prayer. The interior includes a staircase of 129 steps, surmounted by a barrel
vault, which gives access to the terraces and the first tier of the
minaret. The courtyard facade (or south facade) of the tower is pierced
with windows that provide light and ventilation,while the other
three facades—facing north, east and west—are pierced with small
openings in the form of arrowslits.The minaret, in its present
aspect, dates largely from the early ninth century, about 836 AD. It is
the oldest minaret in the Muslim world and it is also the
world's oldest minaret still standing.
The minaret from the corner of the courtyard
The minaret from the exit to the prayer hall
Rows and rows of columns on the perpendicular to the entrances to the prayer hall
The copula of the mosque on the south side of the courtyard near to the prayer hall
The horizontal view of the copula. One sees that it has a large dressed stone pointed horseshoe arch
resting on ancient columns of white veined marble with Corinthian
capitals. This 7-meter high porch is topped with a square base
upon which rests a semical ribbed dome The intermediary area, the dodecagonal drum of the
dome, is pierced by sixteen small rectangular windows set into rounded
niches.
The copula from a wider perspective
A view of the copula from the corner of the courtyard. We see that the copula is flanked on each side by six rhythmically arranged horseshoe arches,each falling on
twin columns backed by pillars, a really impressive sight. This is the oldest surviving mosque in North Africa.
There are smaller copulas
A cat in the mosque
the columns and the arches together look remarkably like spread out palm trees common in
the area
Two columns with different capitals and different materials
They must be in a really hurry to build or rebuilt the mosque: the top and bottom of the same column consists of different materials
Some doors are closed
There are a total of 17 such carved cedar horse-shoe doors with four leaves and a typanum each richly carved with geometric
motifs to the prayer hall
This is the main door to the central ailse to the mihrab of the prayer hall. It has got the most beautifully carved cedar wood door amongst the 17 serving the prayer hall.
More play of shadows: rather like the Muslim architecture in Northern India
Right in the middle of the courtyard is a sundial! It bears an inscription in naskhi engraved on the marble dating from
1258 AH (which corresponds to the year 1843) and which is accessed by a
little staircase. its purpose is to determine the time of prayers.
A poster there introducing the various architectural features special to the mosque
We were next taken to see how carpets are hand woven
The lady with her carpet
All kinds of carpets for sale
The patterns of some are really beautiful: they come in ordinary wool, in cashmere, in camel hair, in cotton, in silk and are either handwoven and machine-made.
These are the biggest ones
The patterns of some are quite simple whilst others are most elaborate: to each his own preference for color, pattern, size, materials and price.
But there's always mysteries behind every window: even in a that of a carpetier's. What his secret?
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