Publication Date
6th century AH / 12th century AD
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;4;ar
Library Location
Marrakesh, old medina, Morocco
Date
6th century AH / 12th century AD
Notes
Two mosques were built by the Almohad Caliph Abd al-Mu'min, only a few years apart. They were known as the Kutubiyyin Mosques, named after the Booksellers' Neighborhood, of which the second mosque remained, which was built later. The two buildings were connected to each other, but in a slightly slanted manner. The current Koutoubia is not rectangular, but rather its shape is trapezoidal, due to the use of one of the walls of its first Koutoubia counterpart. The dimensions of the building are enormous, as its borders are estimated at approximately 92 meters and 90 meters in length and 66 and 57 meters in width. Its internal organization adopts classic unified standards. The axial slab and the slab parallel to the qibla wall are wider than the other slabs and form the Latin letter “T” at their intersection. Eight naves begin at either end of the axial naves, the last four of which extend to the opposite wall on the one hand, and on the other hand to the wall of the very spacious and low-height courtyard, to which a very elongated triangular gallery was added in order to maintain its harmonious shape. The courtyard of the mosque also contains in its middle a circular basin for ablution water. Stone and brick were used in various ways. All the doors on the eastern side were built of brick, while the doors on the western side were mixed with stone and brick. As for the pillars that express the broad features of the mosque’s structure, they took a cruciform or semi-cruciform shape, and were all constructed of brick and covered with a thick layer of plaster paint, and supported by small camouflaged and joined columns, carrying capitals decorated with floral decoration. The transverse slab adjacent to the qibla is distinguished by its arches decorated with muqarnas and supported on simple columns, and by its five domes. One of them is at the front of the mihrab, two are at its ends, and two are in the middle spaces. They are faced with deep domes and wide muqarnas. The mihrab’s niche opens with a very high and very wide arch, covered by two arches with one center, and decorated with ornaments in the form of interwoven bands. The two prominent pillars bear a small dome consisting of sixteen lobes, while a band of star plates surrounds the bruised arch and its volcanoes. At the top of the pulpit is a frieze consisting of five arches, surmounted by a wide band containing a decoration that reuses the star plates. This decorative group, with its delicate touches, creates a strong impression of balance, strength and serenity. The total height of the minaret with the pointed tip of the dome is 77 metres. It rests on a square base with a side length of 12.80 metres. It was built with large courses of stone mixed with bricks in the Qandiliya (Al-Azri) dome. The four sides of the tower bear different decorations, consisting of large panels decorated with small complex, exquisite arches of varying heights, connected With groups of arches and latticed decorations interlaced in different ways. The minaret and the lantern dome are crowned with merlons, trapezoidal in shape and serrated, surrounding a terrace with a huge dome on its sides. The Koutoubia Mosque represents one of the greatest monuments of the Almohad period.
Sample Text
Kamal Lakhdar “Koutoubia Mosque” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;ma;Mon01;4;ar
