(Image courtesy sacredsites.com)
The Mosque of Uqba, also know as the Great Mosque of Kairouan is a very old and important mosque located in the city of Kairouan. It is a large and slightly irregular quadrilateral covering a total area of 9,000 sq. meters in the north-eastern region of the city. It is more than 1,300 years old and was at one time a major center of thought for the entire Islamic world. The past has been marked on it in numerous ways, from the development of the mosque itself, to the development of the surrounding city, to the cultural heritage that is the culmination of centuries of historical existence. The mosque has been destroyed, rebuilt, remodeled and expanded many times, and these past events are manifested in the current physical design and in the way in which the mosque interacts with the surrounding city. Examining this past can provide insight as to the activities and priorities of local peoples regarding landscape, but can also raise questions about contemporary cultural practices and historical narrative.
Brief Timeline:
670 AD - Mosque built by the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi, who also founded the city of Kairouan
690 - Mosque destroyed during occupation of Berbers
703 - Rebuilt by Ghassanid general Hasan ibn al-Nu'man. Expanded 724-728
836 - Ziadet Allah I reconstructs the mosque
862-863 - Oratory enlarged, added portico and double galleries along the sides
1025 - Restoration during the reign of the Zirids.
1294 - Major restorative work by Hasfids
1967 - Major restoration work conducted by Tunisian government, reopened in 1972
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