Mosque and minaret of the Mechouar (citadel)
Tlemcen, Algeria
Hegira end of the 7th – beginning of the 8th century / AD end of 13th century – beginning of the 14th century
Ziyanid
Abu Hammu Musa I.
It was Yaghmurasan (r. AH 633–81 / AD 1236–83) who undertook the construction of the mechouar (citadel), which later became the official residence of the Ziyanids. The ramparts are practically all that remain, as well as the mosque within that was completed in AH 717–18 / AD 1317–18 by Abu Hammu Musa I. The oratory room, without a courtyard, fulfilled a variety of functions; notably it served as an annex to the military hospital, and as a Catholic chapel, during the colonial period. The minaret has retained its proportions, as well as its decoration on all four sides: panels of small columns with an ensemble of arches on a mosaic background of faïence tiles.
View Short DescriptionThe Mechouar at Tlemcen is, along with the ramparts, all that remains of the citadel built by Yaghmurasan, which went on to become the official residence of the Ziyanids. The mosque, built about a century later by Abu Hammu Musa I, consists of a prayer room only and no courtyard. The four sides of the square-plan minaret are decorated with panels of columns and arcatures on a background of faïence-tile mosaics.
In comparing the decorative elements of the minaret to those of Malaga, G. Marçais attributes them to Spanish workshops from the end of the 7th–beginning of the 8th century / end of the 13th–beginning of the 14th century.
Bourouiba, R., Apports de l'Algérie à l'architecture arabo-islamique, Algiers, 1986.
Marçais, G., Tlemcen, 'Les villes d'art célèbres' (collection), Paris, 1950; Blida, 2004.
Ali Lafer "Mosque and minaret of the Mechouar (citadel)" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;dz;Mon01;22;en
Prepared by: Ali LaferAli Lafer
Architecte diplômé de l'École nationale d'architecture et des beaux-arts d'Alger, stagiaire du Centre international pour la conservation et la restauration des biens culturels (ICCROM) à Rome, Ali Lafer a été architecte en chef des Monuments au ministère de la Culture pendant son service civil. Directeur de l'Atelier Casbah chargé des études d'aménagement de la médina d'Alger, il a également enseigné au cours de Tunis pour la formation d'architectes du patrimoine maghrébin. Membre fondateur de l'association “Les amis du Tassili”, il est aussi chercheur dans les domaines de la numérisation de la documentation graphique et du relevé photogrammétrique.
Copyedited by: Margot Cortez
Translation by: Maria Vlotides
Translation copyedited by: Monica Allen
MWNF Working Number: AL 28
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