Tinmal Mosque

De Great Mosque of Tinmel

mosque, heritage

Year dem found am	1153
Native label	ⵜⵉⵎⵣⴳⵉⴷ ⵎⵇⵇⵓⵔⵏ ⵏ ⵜⵉⵏⵎⵍ
Country	Morocco
Edey de administrative territorial entity insyd	Tinmel
Coordinate location	30°59′5″N 8°13′42″W
Dem base am on	The Great Mosque of Taza
Heritage designation	Moroccan cultural heritage, Tentative World Heritage Site
World Heritage criteria	(ii), (v)

De Tinmal Mosque anaa Great Mosque of Tinmal (dem sanso spell am Tinmel anaa Tin Mal; Tachelhit: ⵜⵉⵎⵣⴳⵉⴷ ⵏ ⵜⵉⵏⵎⵍ; Arabic: مسجد تنمل) be a 12th-century mosque wey dey locate insyd de village of Tinmel insyd de High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Although e no longer dey operate as a mosque today, dem preserve ein remains as a historic site. Na dem build am for de site wer na dem bury Ibn Tumart, de founder of de Almohad movement, wey na dem consider am an important example of Almohad architecture.

Na dem add de mosque to de Tentative List of potential UNESCO World Heritage Sites insyd 1995. Na e suffer significant damage during de 2023 Marrakesh–Safi earthquake.

History

View of de mosque dem perch above de village of Tinmel

Tinmel dey locate along de important High Atlas mountain pass dem know as Tizi-n-Test between Marrakesh to de north den de Sous region to de south. Na ebe de first capital of de Almohad movement wey Ibn Tumart found. He establish ein followers hie insyd 1124 anaa 1125 CE wey e cam turn de base from wich dem launch attacks on de Almoravids wey rule de region for de time. Na dem build a first mosque hie around dis time anaa shortly after.

Wen Ibn Tumart die insyd 1130 na dem bury hie wey na dem develop a religious sanctuary den pilgrimage site subsequently for de site of ein tomb. Abd al-Mu'min, wey take over leadership of de Almohads after am, decide make he build a new mosque nearby anaa for de same site insyd 1148, as dem confirm by historical documents of de time – although de foundation date of 1153-1154 CE (548 AH) wey de Rawd al-Qirtas give chaw still dey cite am. De new mosque most likely replace de existing mosque of Tinmel wey ebe present hie. Na construction of de mosque thus begin very soon after de conquest of Marrakesh (1147) den de beginning of construction for de Kutubiyya Mosque der. De Tinmal Mosque ein architecture dey demonstrate chaw similarities plus de Kutubiyya wey na ebe likely craftsmen wey komo Marrakesh design den build am. Na de mosque be smaller in scale dan oda major Almohad mosques as na ebe designed for a small town, buh na nonetheless ebe a pilgrimage site wey na dem bury subsequent Almohad rulers near hie as well. Later, as de Marinids wrest control of Morocco from dem, de Almohads of Marrakesh make a final stand insyd Tinmel til na dem defeat den capture dema last leaders hie insyd 1275.

De mosque eventually fall into ruin wey na ebe partly restored insyd de mid-20th century. Na dem undertake further restoration works insyd de 1990s. De mosque no longer dey operate as a religious building buh na dem gbele am to visitors as a historic site, wey dey make am one of de few mosque buildings insyd Morocco dem gbele to non-Muslims. Na de site be for UNESCO ein Tentative List of World Heritage Sites top since 1995.

As of January 2023, na work be underway for a new restoration of de mosque wey de Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs dey oversee, dem project make e last 18 months. Na de plan sanso call for de eventual construction of a museum next to de mosque.

History

2023 earthquake

Na de mosque be severely damaged insyd a major earthquake insyd September 2023. Na parts of de minaret tower den sam walls appear dem collapse. De Moroccan Culture Ministry respond by dem state dem go restore de mosque, while UNESCO indicate e go send a team make dem evaluate de damage. Prior to de earthquake, na de renovation of de mosque dey insyd ein final stage. An early assessment insyd October 2023 estimate dat na 75% of de building be destroyed, although na dem avoid more complete destruction secof de terrace for wich de mosque dey stand no collapse. Na de building no be yet safe enough make enter for a full evaluation. De extent of damage to de historic mihrab no be yet known as na ebe obscured by de debris of de collapsed roof in front of am.

Insyd November 2023, Moroccan news outlet Médias24 publish an article wey dey criticize de clearance of debris from de mosque, wey dem dey allege na dem no do am well without proper supervision from archeologists wey dem no potentially loose historical fragments insyd de process. A subsequent article by Le Desk, anoda Moroccan news outlet, challenge dis allegation, wey dey quote Aboulkacem Chebri, presido of de Moroccan branch of ICOMOS, wey dey state dat na dem dey collect den store appropriately historical fragments from de site, wey dey include those wey dem fi reuse potentially during reconstruction.

Insyd May 2024 na dem report dat de restoration of de mosque go be aided by de Italian Ministry of Culture, for de request of de Moroccan government's ein Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs. Na dem send de Italian architect Aldo Giorgio Pezzi make he assist insyd de project.

Damage from de 2023 earthquake

View of de mosque ein southeast side (behind de qibla wall) den de partly-collapsed minaret tower (September 2023)

View of the mosque ein northeast syd (September 2023)

Architecture

Exterior

De minaret of de mosque

De building get a fortress-like exterior appearance plus thick plain walls, wich na be characteristic of oda Almohad mosques den buildings as well. E get roughly quadrangular floor plan wey dey measure 43 by 40 metres. Na a more unusual feature be de position den form of de minaret, wey dey locate for de middle of ein southern wall for top of de mihrab; dem no dey find a design feature wich insyd oda historic mosques. De minaret get a rectangular base wey dey project outwards from de surrounding outer wall, buh e get a truncated anaa unfinished appearance, wey dey contrast plus de bold den monumental minarets of oda Almohad mosques wey cam after (such de minaret of de Kutubiyya anaa de Giralda insyd Seville). De mosque get seven entrances: three for both ein east den west syds den one central entrance to de north.

Interior

Insyd, de mosque get a typical hypostyle layout plus an interior courtyard. Dem divide de main prayer hall into nine "naves" (wey dey run roughly north to south) by rows of pointed horseshoe arches. Another aisle, perpendicular to dese rows of arches (wey dey run roughly east to west), dey run along de southern wall (de qibla wall towards wich worshippers pray). De mosque be a notable example of de "T-plan" anaa "T-type" mosque wich dem found insyd earlier Almoravid architecture wey na ebe standard for later medieval Moroccan mosques: de aisle dey run parallel to de qibla wall den de middle nave dey lead to de mihrab, wey dey run perpendicular to dat wall, be wider den more prominent dan de oda aisles of de mosque wey thus draw a "T" shape insyd de floor plan of de building.

De southern aisle of de qibla wall sanso dey feature three muqarnas ("honeycomb" anaa "stalactite") cupolas: one for de middle, insyd front of de mihrab, den one for either end, for de southern corners of de mosque. Each cupola be sanso flanked by "lambrequin" anaa "muqarnas" arches below, whose intrados be enhanced plus carved sebka, muqarnas, den palmette/seashell motifs. Multifoil den lambrequin arches sanso dey run along de northern edge of dis aisle, further dey set am apart from de rest of de mosque. All dese decorative flourishes sanso serve make e emphasize de southern aisle den middle nave insyd de T-plan of de mosque.

De rectangular courtyard (sahn) of de mosque dey occupy a large part of ein northern section, wey dey correspond to de width of de mosque ein five middle naves den de length of three transversal aisles. Ebe surrounded for all sides by de arches of de prayer hall den ein extensions.

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  View of de prayer hall, wey dey look towards de courtyard (behind de arches for de right)
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  Pointed horseshoe arches insyd de prayer hall
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  View of de prayer hall, wey dey look towards de mihrab (center). De southernmost aisle, before de mihrab, be demarcated by different arch designs.
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  Remains of de former muqarnas cupola in front of de mihrab (2015 photo)
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  Lambrequin arches insyd de southern aisle of de mosque
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  Sebka den oda decorative motifs under one of de lambrequin arches next to de mihrab
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  A palmette/seashell motif dem carve into de arches near de mihrab
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  A preserved muqarnas cupola for de southeastern corner of de mosque

De mihrab

De mihrab (niche dey symbolize de qibla), situate insyd de middle of de southern wall, be similar in form den decoration to dat of de Kutubiyya Mosque den oda Almohad mosques, wey dey consist of a small octagonal room dem cover by a muqarnas cupola. Dis overall form dey inherit de tradition of de 10th-century mihrab of de Great Mosque of Cordoba, wich sanso consist of a small octagonal room. De wall dey surround de mihrab ein opening be decorated plus carved geometric den interlacing motifs insyd stucco. De tradition of a mihrab compose of a Unlike de Kutubiyya Mosque, de decorative capitals of de engaged columns around de mihrab be carved from stucco rather dan marble. For either side of de mihrab be two tall arched openings: one lead to a small chamber wer na dem store de minbar (pulpit), while de oda lead to de imam ein entrance for de eastern base of de minaret.

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  De mihrab
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  Intrado of de arch (above) next to de mihrab, as well as de opening wey dey lead to de imam ein entrance (below)
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  Decorative capitals around de mihrab
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  De muqarnas cupola insyd de mihrab

References

Bibliography

• Abun-Nasr, Jamil (1987). A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period (in English). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521337674.
• Bennison, Amira K. (2016). The Almoravid and Almohad Empires (in English). Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780748646821.
• Bloom, Jonathan M. (2020). Architecture of the Islamic West: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, 700–1800 (in English). Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300218701.
• Ewert, Christian (1992). "The Architectural Heritage of Islamic Spain in North Africa". In Dodds, Jerrilynn D. (ed.). Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain (in English). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 85–95. ISBN 0870996371.
• Salmon, Xavier (2018). Maroc Almoravide et Almohade: Architecture et décors au temps des conquérants, 1055-1269 (in French). Paris: LienArt. ISBN 9782359062335.

External links

• Images of Tinmal Mosque in Manar al-Athar digital photo archive resources