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Welcome to ARCHNET, an Open Access, intellectual resource focused on the built environment of Muslim societies.Our mission:&nbsp;<ul><li>Facilitate excellence in scholarship, and professional work by providing ready access to quality, unique texts, and media focused on architecture, urbanism, environmental and landscape design, conservation issues, visual and material cultures, and related topics, both historically and in terms of contemporary best practices.</li><li>Enable teaching and learning in these domains by providing educators with reliable, effective pedagogical material and teaching aids.&nbsp;</li><li>Serve serves as a platform through which scholars, practitioners, and institutions can bring their work to new global audiences.&nbsp;</li><li>Promote intercultural understanding and dialogue through reliable, high-quality, peer-reviewed material on the diversity of, and pluralism within Muslim societies and the interaction between Islamic and other religious, cultural, and philosophical traditions.</li><li>Enable easy access to a wide variety of resources via a custom-built, web-based, mobile-friendly platform optimized to minimize financial, infrastructural, linguistic, and other barriers to access.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>Launched in 2002 after several years of development, ARCHNET is a pioneering digital resource that has proven a reliable authority on the built environment of Muslim societies, past, and present.&nbsp;ARCHNET is a partnership between the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/1342" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Documentation Center, MIT Libraries </a>(AKDC@MIT) and the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/1903" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Trust for Culture</a> (AKTC), with support from the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard and MIT. ARCHNET NEXT was developed by <a href="https://www.performantsoftware.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Performant Software Solutions</a>.

About

Yaghmorasan lbn Zayan

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digital graphic

IAA705655

patron

Tlemcen 

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IAA707947

place

'Ali Ben Yusef (r. 1106–1143/499-537 AH)

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Yusuf Ibn Tashfin

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religious

mosque

Algeria

Minaret of the Great Mosque of Tlemcen

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digital photograph

Minaret - Great Mosque, Tlemcen

Moorish Monuments of Algeria: richness and diversity

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IAA708533

The original mosque on the site was Almoravid, constructed by <a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/2627" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yusuf ibn Tashfin</a> (r. 1061-1106/453-499 AH), but substantially rebuilt&nbsp;in 1136/530 AH&nbsp;by his son <a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/2617" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">'Ali Ibn Yusuf</a> (r. 1106-1143/500-537 AH). The minaret and dome were added ca. 1236 by <a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/2802" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yaghmorasan Ibn Zyan</a> (r. ca.1235-1283/632-683 AH).&nbsp;&nbsp;

brick

plaster

stone

stucco

wood

ceramic

lime

rammed earth

Keith Turner

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architectural drawing

IMG14105

Jami' al-Kabir (Tlemcen)

Eric Ross

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color print

Tlemcen-Friday-Mosque

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B & W print

Great Mosque

 ND. Phot.

Mediterranean Postcards

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postcard

IMG27242

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IMG27243

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Great Mosque of Tlemcen

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Great Mosque Tlemcen

Paul Servant

Box 11 - International Tangier

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glass plate negative

Courtyard 

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Road along the Mosque

Amine Kasmi

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Tlemcen, great mosque

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الجامع الكبير

Original

Translated

Djama'a Kebir

Alternate transliteration

Grand Mosquée de Tlemcen

جامع تلمسان الكبير

See, also, <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/2354" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Timeline: Almoravid</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Almoravids, or al-Murabitun (المرابطون),&nbsp;were a dynasty that sprang from a from power base among the confederation of&nbsp;Sanhajah&nbsp;Berber&nbsp;tribes in what is now Niger and Mali. At its height their empire spanned most of&nbsp;the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of North African from what is today Mauritania to Western Tunisia, as well as the Southern half of the Iberian Peninsula. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They were a dynasty of religious zealots originally led by&nbsp;the Moroccan theologian Abdallah Ibn Yassin who had been invited by&nbsp;Yahya Ibn Ibrahim, leader of the Banu Gudala tribe, to preach among his people. He proved to be a reformist zealot, and he quickly rose to prominence.This led to his invitation by Abu-Bakr Lamtuni to preach among the Lamtuna, where he found a more enthusiastic reception. Upon his death&nbsp;Yusef Ibn Tashfin succeeded him. In&nbsp;the latter part of the 11th century this&nbsp;religious fervor, matched by the military prowess of the Lamtuna led to the conquest of Morocco,&nbsp;the Ghana Empire,&nbsp;much of Algeria, and&nbsp;part of Muslim Spain. Marrakesh was established as the capital in 1062/454 AH and Ibn Tashfin assumed the title of amir al-muslimin (“commander of the Muslims”)&nbsp;in the territories he governed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;During the reign of ‘Ali Ibn Yusef&nbsp;(1106-1142/499-536 AH) the rest of Muslim Spain came under Almoravid rule, with the exception of Valencia, which retained its independence. The administrative union between the Spanish and North Africa was consolidated, which allowed a greater flow of artistic and intellectual commerce between the two Mediterranean shores. The architecture of this period attempted to reign in much of what they saw as the excesses of the Umayyad period.&nbsp;The Almoravids were less prone to build on a grand scale, or to indulge in elaborate ornamentation. Perhaps the&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/sites/1739" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Qubbahal-Barudiyyin</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/sites/14772" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marrakesh</a>&nbsp;is one of the best extant examples of early Almoravid architectural style and its emphasis on simple, austere designs with great inherent aesthetic elegance. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Christian forces wanting to retake territory, as well as Muslim rivals for power soon challenged the Almoravids dominance and kept chipping away at their vast and weakened empire. Saragossa&nbsp;fell to Christian forces in 1118/512 AH, and by&nbsp;1125/519 AH the&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/timelines/48/period/Almohad/year/1130" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Almohads</a>&nbsp;were already showing their strength in armed rebellions. The fall of Marrakech and Lisbon in&nbsp;1147/541 AH,&nbsp;effectively marked the end of Almoravid power, though some resistance continued in Spain, the Balearic Islands and in the province of Ifriqiyya, in today's Tunisia. -<a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/2691" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Michael A. Toler</a>

Almoravid

For more information see: <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/2376" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Timeline: Zayyanid</a> The Zayyanids ('Abd al-Wadids, Banu Zayyan, or Banu 'Abd al-Wad) were an Amazigh (Berber) dynasty that ruled the northwestern part of the central Maghreb (present-day&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/collections/1617" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Algeria</a>) from 1236 to 1555 (633-962 AH). The Zayyanid dynasty was founded by Yaghmorasan lbn Zayan who was governor of&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/4007" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tlemcen</a>&nbsp;under the&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/timelines/48/period/Almohad/year/1130" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Almohads</a>, before declaring autonomy and making the city his own capital. The territory controlled by the Zayyanids was marked by moving borders, depending on the strength or weakness of the ruling sultan. Yet, at its height, the kingdom extended from the present-day Algerian-Moroccan borders to the city of Bejaia.The Zayyanids' rule falls into two parts separated by a short period (1337-1359/738-760 AH) during which the kingdom came under the control of the&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/timelines/48/period/Marinid/year/1310" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marinids</a>. During the first period (1236-1337/633-738 AH), it was the tribe of Banu 'Abd al-Wad that gave its name to the first branch of the dynasty then called 'Abd al-Wadid. In the second period (1359-1555/760-962 AH), the second branch was called the Zayyanids after Yaghmorasan Ibn Zyan, the founder of the dynasty. However, both names refer to the same reigning family and are used interchangeably. The sultans of the first branch left remarkable traces of their rule, which some survived until modern times. First, they undertook important works to transform Tlemcen into a capital worthy of its new status. During his reign, the founding Sultan Yaghmorasan built the&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/sites/19409" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">minaret of Agadir</a>, and that of the&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/sites/14956" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Great Mosque of Tlemcen</a>, of which he also extended the prayer hall and courtyard. He laid the foundations of a new fortified palatial complex,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archnet.org/sites/16019" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">al-Mechouar</a>, which became the official residence of the Zayyanid sultans. Yaghmorasan's son Abu Said Uthman built the sumptuous&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/sites/9170" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mosque of Sidi Bel-Hasan</a>&nbsp;that, unfortunately, suffered from several damaging fires. The fifth sultan Abu Tashfin constructed many buildings, including three palaces in al-Mechouar, the&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/4007/media_contents/118149" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sahridj al-Kebir</a>&nbsp;(great basin), and the&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/sites/17021" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Madrasa al-Tashfiniya</a>, which attracted students from different parts of the Maghreb. It should be noted that the Zayyanid capital became a center of intense intellectual activity. The great historian Ibn Khaldun (Abd al-Rahman) taught at the&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/sites/8898" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Madrasa of Sidi Abu Madyan</a>. His brother Yahya Ibn Khaldun was the historiographer of the sultans of Tlemcen and died in this same city. The Zayyanids did much to encourage the intellectual life of their capital by building several madrasas (five according to Leo Africanus). The important place held by men of knowledge is illustrated by the fact that scholars were buried in the royal cemetery, along with other members of the ruling family. Another indicator of prosperity is the large numbers of European merchants who came to the kingdom seeking sub-Saharan gold. Tlemcen became the crossroads of trade between Western Mediterranean Europe and the states of sub-Saharan Africa through the commercial development of gold. The European merchants came mostly from Catalonia, Aragon, Genoa, Venice, and Marseille; and lived in an individualized neighborhood, al-Qaysariya, which contained caravanserais and churches. For most of its history, the dynasty was in an almost permanent state of war with its Marinid and&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/timelines/48/period/Hafsid/year/1231" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hafsid</a>&nbsp;neighbors. In fact, the weakness of the Zayyanid military kept the integrity of the state fragile throughout its history. The ruling sultans did not always succeed in protecting the provinces or even their capital from threats of the Marinids who besieged the city several times. The first long siege lasted a little over eight years (1299-1307/698-707 AH), during which the Marinid sultan Abu Yaqub Yusuf ordered the construction of a city, west of Tlemcen, that he named&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/sites/9168" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">al-Mansura</a>&nbsp;and in which he established his residence. In 1307/707 AH, Abu Yaqub Yusuf was assassinated. His successor immediately ended the siege and returned to the Marinid capital, Fes. Under the reign of Abu al-Hasan, the Marinids once again besieged Tlemcen between 1335/735 AH and 1337/737 AH and succeeded in becoming masters of the city for nearly a quarter of a century. During this period, Abu al-Hasan built the&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/sites/5390" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mosque of Sidi Bu Medyan</a>. His son Abu Inan Faris built the&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/sites/5389" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mosque Sid El Haloui</a>. These Marinid edifices had in common that they were all dedicated to Andalusian mystics, and were all located outside the walls of the Zayyanid capital. In 1359/760 AH, the Zayyanid dynasty was restored by Abu Hammu Moussa II (1359-1389/760-791 AH) who managed to drive out the Marinids. He continued the building work of his ancestors towards the embellishment of the kingdom's capital. He raised the funeral&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/sites/19410" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mosque of Sidi Brahim</a>&nbsp;who was adjoined to a madrasa called al-Yacoubiya, named after Abu Yacoub father of this sultan. However, the Zayyanids never regained their former splendor and glory. After Abu Hammu Moussa II, the rulers of Tlemcen, too busy preserving their power, did not bring any improvements to the kingdom. The century and a half, during which the dynasty continued to exist, was marked by a gradual weakening of the central authority. Most of the kingdom's cities became independent until the authority of the Zayyanids was limited to the capital and its surroundings. Noteworthy during this period of decline was the immigration of Andalusian Muslim and Jewish families to the Maghreb, fleeing the Christian Reconquista, many of whom took refuge in Tlemcen, bringing culture and traditions. In the early sixteenth century, the Zayyanids were caught up in the conflict between Spaniards and&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/timelines/48/period/Ottoman/year/1299" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ottomans</a>. The definitive taking of Tlemcen by the Ottomans, in 1555/960 AH, marked the end of the dynasty. The last Zayyanid sultan, Moulay Hasan, died of the plague in&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/authorities/3871" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Oran</a>&nbsp;in 1560/967 AH. --<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/7041" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amine Kasmi</a>,&nbsp;Department of Architecture, University of Tlemcen SOURCES:Brosselard, Charles. Memoire epigraphique et historique sur les tombeaux des emirs Beni Zeiyan et de Boabdil, dernier roi de Grenade, decouverte a Tlemcen. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1976.Et-Tenessy Mohammed, Histoire des Beni-Zeiyan, rois de Tlemcen, 2 vols. trans. by Jean-Joseph-Leandre Barges, Paris: Duprat, 1852 and 1887.Ibn Khaldun, Yahya. Histoire des Beni 'Abd el-Wad, rois de Tlemcen jusqu'au regne d'Abou H'ammou Mousa II, 2 vols. trans. by Alfre Bel. Algiers: Imp. Orientale Pierre Fontana, 1903 and 1911.Khelifa, Abderrahmane. Tlemcen, capitale du Maghreb central. Algiers: Colorset, 2011.Lawless, Richard I. "Tlemcen, Capital City of the Abd al-Wadids: A Study of the Functions of a Medieval Islamic." Islamic Quarterly 18 (1974).Lawless, Richard I. and Gerald H. Blake. Tlemcen: Continuity and Change in an Algerian Islamic Town. London: Bowker, 1976.Leo Africanus, Johannes (1556). Description de l'Afrique, tierce partie du monde. trans. by A. Epaulard. Paris: Adrien-Maisonneuve, 1956.Levi-Provencal, Evariste. "Abd al-Wadids." In Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. 1, B. Lewis, V. L. Menage, Ch. Pellat, and J. Schacht (eds), 5th Edition. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1986.

Jami' al-Kabir (Tlemcen)
Tlemcen, Algeria

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Jami' al-Kabir (Tlemcen)Tlemcen, Algeria

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Jami' al-Kabir (Tlemcen)
Tlemcen, Algeria

Jami' al-Kabir (Tlemcen)
Tlemcen, Algeria