Sixteen domes soar above the 18 m. square sanctuary of the Quirgi mosque. Every surface is decorated in paint, carved plaster, or ornate ceramic tile. The mihrab, minbar, and some windows are made of marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. This mosque and its rich decoration is the legacy of Mustafa Quirgi, chief of the customs service. The complex also includes a small school and the mausoleum of M. Quirgi.

In the sanctuary the domes along the central axis are raised higher than the rest to accentuate the main axis. The mosque has a gallery on the second floor, where again every surface is colored in polychrome ceramic tile. The gallery surrounds the sanctuary on all sides except the qibla wall.

The Quirgi mosque has a striking octagonal minaret that rises from the north corner of the complex. It too is richly decorated with tile, and has two balconies supported by elegantly carved brackets. At each balcony the minaret becomes more slender.


Sources:

El-Ballush, Ali Masud. 1979. A history of Libyan Mosque Architecture during the Ottoman and Karamanli Period: 1551-1911. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Ph.D, 489.

Hutt, Antony. 1977. North Africa: Islamic Architecture. London: Scorpion Publications Ltd, 192.

Islamic art and architecture in Libya. 1976. London: Libyan General Committee for Participation in the World of Islam Festival, 72.

Ramadan, A.M. 1976. Reflections upon Islamic Architecture in Libya. Tripoli: The Arabic House for Book, 160.