This valuable collection, observed from the late nineteenth century by the French orientalists Octave Houdas and René Basset who mention in their report on their scientific mission in Tunisia published in the Journal of African correspondence in 1882, comprises according to the inventory established at the time of the Hafsids (circa 1293–1294) several Qur'ans and books of fiqh that concern mainly the Maliki fiqh and its sources. It is longer (127.60 metres) on the east side than the west (125.20 metres), and shorter on the north side (72.70 metres) than the south (78 metres). [52][57], View of the second and third storeys of the minaret, Close view of one of the Roman stones (with Latin inscriptions) reused at the base of the minaret, Wall and windows of the south facade of the minaret, The Mosque has several domes, the largest being over the mihrab and the entrance to the prayer hall from the courtyard. Thus, the mosque, headquarters of a prestigious university with a large library containing a large number of scientific and theological works, was the most remarkable intellectual and cultural centre in North Africa during the ninth, tenth and eleventh centuries. Their use probably dates to the work done under the Umayyad governor Bishr ibn Safwan in about 725 AD, and they have been reused at the base of the tower. La mosquée, monument symbolisant l'extension territoriale de l'Islam. It was rebuilt by the Ghassanid general Hasan ibn al-Nu'man in 703. Create lists, bibliographies and reviews: or Search WorldCat. Fondée en 670, la Grande Mosquée de Kairouan est un des plus prestigieux sanctuaires musulmans au monde. Coupole et plafonds de la grande mosquée de Kairouan. Extensive works under the Aghlabids two centuries later (9th Cent.AD/CE) gave the mosque its present aspect. The beginning of each surah is indicated by a band consisting of a golden stylised leafy foliage, dotted with red and blue, while the verses are separated by silver rosettes. Situation: Kairouan en Tunisie (Maghreb) Dates de construction: début en 670, fin au IX° siècle Architecte : inconnu. Imp… Les décorateurs ont donc eu recours à des figures géométriques répétées à l'infini et de couleurs variées. [48] The minaret, in its present aspect, dates largely from the early ninth century, about 836 AD. [84] This old chair of the ninth century is still in its original location, next to the mihrab. Among the finest works of this series, the pages of the Blue Qur'an, currently exhibited at Raqqada National Museum of Islamic Art, from a famous Qur'an in the second half of the fourth century of the Hegira (the tenth century) most of which is preserved in Tunisia and the rest scattered in museums and private collections worldwide. This porch of seven metres high is topped with a square base upon which rests a semi-spherical ribbed dome; the latter is ribbed with sharp-edged ribs. EVOLUTION ET TRANSFORMATION DE LA MOSQUEE DE KAIRAOUAN Lors de la fondation de Kairouan en 670, le général et conquérant arabe Oqba Ibn Nafi (luimême fondateur de la ville) choisit l’emplacement de sa mosquée au centre de la cité, à proximité du siège du gouverneur. Des mots aux modes de spatialisation Â», Enceinte et porches de la Grande Mosquée de Kairouan, Hichem Djaït, « L’Afrique arabe au VIII, Fondation de la Grande Mosquée de Kairouan. !Contenu très riche. [83] Probably made by cabinetmakers of Kairouan (some researchers also refer to Baghdad), it consists of an assembly of more than 300 finely carved wood pieces with an exceptional ornamental wealth (vegetal and geometric patterns refer to the Umayyad and Abbasid models), among which about 90 rectangular panels carved with plenty of pine cones, grape leaves, thin and flexible stems, lanceolate fruits and various geometric shapes (squares, diamonds, stars, etc.). This dome, whose construction goes back to the first half of the ninth century (towards 836), is one of the oldest and most remarkable domes in the western Islamic world. [Paul Sebag; Evelyn Hofer] Home. Fondée en même temps que la ville de Kairouan par les conquérants (ghuzât) musulmans, en l’an 50 de l’Hégire (670 ap. The dome of the mihrab is based on an octagonal drum with slightly concave sides, raised on a square base, decorated on each of its three southern, Easter and western faces with five flat-bottomed niches surmounted by five semi-circular arches,[24][58] the niche in the middle is cut by a lobed oculus enrolled in a circular frame. A legend says they could not count them without going blind. The latter, which its hemispherical cap is cut by 24 concave grooves radiating around the top,[75] is based on ridged horns shaped shell and a drum pierced by eight circular windows which are inserted between sixteen niches grouped by two. In addition to its spiritual prestige,[3] the Mosque of Uqba is one of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture,[4][5][6] notable among other things for the first Islamic use of the horseshoe arch. La Grande mosquée de Kairouan prônait un islam tolérant, très imprégné de la doctrine malékite. The portico on the south side of the courtyard, near the prayer hall, includes in its middle a large dressed stone pointed horseshoe arch which rests on ancient columns of white veined marble with Corinthian capitals. [39] Despite its construction at the end of the thirteenth century, Bab Lalla Rihana blends well with all of the building mainly dating from the ninth century. [17] During this expansion, he pulled down the mosque and rebuilt it with the exception of the mihrab. The horizontal sundial located in the courtyard, One of the courtyard's capitals surmounted by a small vertical sundial, Detail of arches and columns of the north portico of the courtyard, View of the impluvium which collects the rainwater and feeds the underground cistern, The minaret, which occupies the centre of the northern façade of the complex's enclosure, is 31.5 metres tall and is seated on a square base of 10.7 metres on each side. It is bordered on each side of a double row of arches rested on twin columns and surmounted by a carved plaster decoration consisting of floral and geometric patterns. J-C.), la Grande Mosquée de Kairouan (al-Jama’ al-kabîr) est le plus ancien lieu de culte de l’Occident musulman. À peine sortis du louage, le taxi collectif de la Tunisie, nous avons pu admirer la muraille de la médina. [62], The central nave, a sort of triumphal alley which leads to the mihrab,[63] is significantly higher and wider than the other sixteen aisles of the prayer hall. Featuring kufic character suras are written in gold on vellum dyed with indigo, they are distinguished by a compact graph with no marks for vowels. Editions Oxford University Press, Other works of art such as the crowns of light (circular chandeliers) made in cast bronze, dating from the Fatimid-Zirid period (around the tenth to the early eleventh century), originally belonged to the furniture of the mosque. Mosquee Kairouan de Al-Qayrawan ouvert maintenant. Create lists, bibliographies and reviews: or Search WorldCat. [11] This location corresponded originally to the heart of the urban fabric of the city founded by Uqba ibn Nafi. 4:53. Located in the north-east of the medina of Kairouan, the mosque is in the intramural district of Houmat al-Jami (literally "area of the Great Mosque"). »[32], At the same time, the doctor and Anglican priest Thomas Shaw (1692–1751),[33] touring the Tunis Regency and passes through Kairouan in 1727, described the mosque as that: "which is considered the most beautiful and the most sacred of Berberian territories", evoking for example: "an almost unbelievable number of granite columns".[34]. »[22]. [Georges Marçais] Home. [60], View of the gallery which precedes the prayer hall, One of the seventeen carved-wood doors of the prayer hall, Close view of the upper part of the main door of the prayer hall, View of the central nave of the prayer hall, View of two of the secondary naves of the prayer hall, View of the mihrab located in the middle of the qibla wall of the prayer hall, In the prayer hall, the 414 columns of marble, granite or porphyry[69] (among more than 500 columns in the whole mosque),[70] taken from ancient sites in the country such as Sbeitla, Carthage, Hadrumetum and Chemtou,[60] support the horseshoe arches. [44], View of the courtyard on the side of the prayer hall facade, Porch topped with a ribbed dome rising in the middle of the south portico of the courtyard, Courtyard seen from one of the arched galleries, Portico located on the eastern side of the courtyard, Interior view of the eastern portico of the courtyard, Interior view of the western portico of the courtyard. The maqsura, located near the minbar, consists of a fence bounding a private enclosure that allows the sovereign and his senior officials to follow the solemn prayer of Friday without mingling with the faithful. [72] The shafts of the columns are carved in marble of different colors and different backgrounds. Le mur extérieur situé tout à gauche est le mur de la qiblâ qui indique la direction de La Mecque. The intermediary area, the dodecagonal drum of the dome, is pierced by sixteen small rectangular windows set into rounded niches. Le long de ce mur, à l’intérieur de la salle de prière, sont indiqués deux éléments architecturaux fondamentaux dans une mosquée :- le mihrab, niche symbolisant la présence de Mahomet ;- le mimbar, endroit où est lu le If one refers to the story of Al-Bakri, an Andalusian historian and geographer of the eleventh century, it is the mihrab which would be done by Uqba Ibn Nafi, the founder of Kairouan, whereas Lucien Golvin shares the view that it is not an old mihrab but hardly a begun construction which may serve to support marble panels and either goes back to work of Ziadet Allah I (817–838) or to those of Abul Ibrahim around the years 862–863. La grande mosquée de Kairouan se trouve à Kairouan, en Tunisie.Elle a été bâtie dans la seconde moitié du VIIe siècle par Obka ibn Nafi, le fondateur de la ville.Elle a été reconstruite au IX e siècle pendant la dynastie aghlabide.. [80] Above the marble cladding, the mihrab niche is crowned with a half dome-shaped vault made of manchineel bentwood. Search. On additions and embellishments made to the building by the Aghlabid emir Abu Ibrahim, Ibn Nagi gives the following account: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, « He built in the mosque of Kairouan the cupola that rises over the entrance to the central nave, together with the two colonnades which flank it from both sides, and the galleries were paved by him. The Great Mosque of Kairouan (Arabic: جامع القيروان الأكبر‎), also known as the Mosque of Uqba (جامع عقبة بن نافع), is a mosque situated in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Kairouan, Tunisia and is one of the most impressive and largest Islamic monuments in North Africa.[1]. [71] The capitals resting on the column shafts offer a wide variety of shapes and styles (Corinthian, Ionic, Composite, etc.). Fondée en même temps que la ville de Kairouan par les conquérants (ghuzât) musulmans, en l’an 50 de l’Hégire (670 ap. Date: 23 February 2012, 09:27:09: Source: Flickr: marble arch: Author: James Rose: Their edges, obtained from the lower parts of ancient cored columns,[47] support the string grooves back the buckets. [51], The interior includes a staircase of 129 steps, surmounted by a barrel vault, which gives access to the terraces and the first tier of the minaret. Other scrolls and calligraphic Qur'ans, as that known as the Hadinah's Qur'an, copied and illuminated by the calligrapher Ali ibn Ahmad al-Warraq for the governess of the Zirid prince Al-Muizz ibn Badis at about 1020 AD, were also in the library before being transferred to Raqqada museum. Thus, some entries have been sealed, while others were kept. [60] Some capitals were carved for the mosque, but others come from Roman or Byzantine buildings (dating from the second to sixth century) and were reused. Fondée en 670, la ville de Kairouan a prospéré sous la dynastie aghlabide, au IX e siècle. Malgré le transfert de la capitale politique à Tunis au XII e siècle, Kairouan est restée la première ville sainte du Maghreb. Le plancher de la mosquée, à l’endroit où la … [24] Around 862–863, Emir Abu Ibrahim enlarged the oratory, with three bays to the north, and added the cupola over the arched portico which precedes the prayer hall. [18] In 774, a new reconstruction accompanied by modifications and embellishments[19] took place under the direction of the Abbasid governor Yazid ibn Hatim. [89], In addition to studies on the deepening of religious thought and Maliki jurisprudence, the mosque also hosted various courses in secular subjects such as mathematics, astronomy, medicine and botany. A portico with double row of arches precede the spacious prayer hall, which takes the shape of a rectangle of 70.6 metres in width and 37.5 metres' depth. Grande Mosquée de Kairouan - J-A Brutails - Université Bordeaux Montaigne - 1692.jpg 3,140 × 4,509; 1.05 MB Kairouan Minaret (39733812671).jpg 1,024 × 768; 159 KB Vue aérienne de la Grande Mosquée de Kairouan - aerial view of Kairouan's Great Mosque.jpg 1,700 × 949; 1.2 MB [58][76] The niches are covered with carved stone panels, finely adorned with characteristic geometric, vegetal and floral patterns of the Aghlabid decorative repertoire: shells, cusped arches, rosettes, vine-leaf, etc. The rainwater collector or impluvium, probably the work of the Muradid Bey Mohamed Bey al-Mouradi (1686–1696), is an ingenious system that ensures the capture (with the slightly sloping surface of the courtyard) then filtering stormwater at a central basin furnished with horseshoe arches sculpted in white marble. WorldCat Home About WorldCat Help. [49] The first and second stories are surmounted by rounded merlons which are pierced by arrowslits. The main minaret is centered on the north. It is one of the oldest places of worship in the Islamic world, and is a model for all later mosques in the Maghreb. [82] Among all the pulpits of the Muslim world, it is certainly the oldest example of minbar still preserved today. In 1967, major restoration works, executed during five years and conducted under the direction of the National Institute of Archeology and Art, were achieved throughout the monument, and were ended with an official reopening of the mosque during the celebration of the Mawlid of 1972.[30]. [40][41] It is surrounded on all its four sides by a portico with double rows of arches, opened by slightly horseshoe arches supported by columns in various marbles, in granite or in porphyry, reused from Roman, Early Christian or Byzantine monuments particularly from Carthage. Linda Kay Davidson and David Martin Gitlitz, Minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan (Qantara), Minaret de la Grande Mosquée de Kairouan, Coupole du mihrab de la Grande Mosquée de Kairouan, Salle de prière de la Grande Mosquée de Kairouan, Présentation de la Grande Mosquée de Kairouan (Qantara). It is surrounded at its upper part by 139 lusterware tiles (with a metallic sheen), each one is 21.1 centimetres square and they are arranged on the diagonal in a chessboard pattern. [85], The library is near located, accessible by a door which the jambs and the lintel are carved in marble, adorned with a frieze of floral decoration. The oldest boards date back to the Aghlabid period (ninth century) and are decorated with scrolls and rosettes on a red background consists of squares with concave sides in which are inscribed four-petaled flowers in green and blue, and those performed by the Zirid dynasty (eleventh century) are characterised by inscriptions in black kufic writing with gold rim and the uprights of the letters end with lobed florets, all on a brown background adorned with simple floral patterns. [46] Freed from its impurities, the water flows into an underground cistern supported by seven-metre-high pillars. La mosquée est le lieu de culte des musulmans.L'appel du muezzin invite les fidèles à venir y prier cinq fois par jour.La prière collective se déroule sous la direction d'un religieux lettré, l' imam, choisi pour son niveau de connaissances religieuses, Le terme signifie « celui qui est devant, celui qui montre la voie ». During this period, the Great Mosque of Kairouan was both a place of prayer and a centre for teaching Islamic sciences under the Maliki current. [45] The northern part of the courtyard is paved with flagstones while the rest of the floor is almost entirely composed of white marble slabs. [39], Wall and porches on the west facade (south side), Close view of one of the entrances of the west facade, View of the middle of the southern facade, Gate of Bab Lalla Rihana (late thirteenth century), Close view of the lower part of Bab Lalla Rihana, Blind arcade decorating the upper part of Bab Lalla Rihana. The coating around them is decorated with blue plant motifs dating from the eighteenth century or the first half of the nineteenth century. The three chains, connected by a suspension ring, are each fixed to the plate by an almond-shaped finial. Search. One may conceivably compare its role to that of the University of Paris during the Middle Ages. [12][37] However, Arab geographers and historians of the Middle Ages Al-Muqaddasi and Al-Bakri reported the existence, around the tenth and eleventh centuries, of about ten gates named differently from today. It consists of regular layers of carefully cut rubble stone, thus giving the work a stylistically admirable homogeneity and unity. The combination formed by the courtyard and the galleries that surround it covers an immense area whose dimensions are about 90 metres long and 72 metres in width. From the library of the mosque comes a large collection of calligraphic scrolls and manuscripts, the oldest dating back to the second half of the ninth century. [58] From the outside, the dome of the mihrab is based on an octagonal drum with slightly concave sides, raised on a square base, decorated on each of its three southern, Easter and western faces with five flat-bottomed niches surmounted by five semi-circular arches,[24][58] the niche in the middle is cut by a lobed oculus enrolled in a circular frame. Il érigea la grande mosquée de Kairouan, qui demeure l'un des plus prestigieux monuments de l'Islam. Divided into two groups, they are dated from the beginning of the second half of the ninth century but it is not determined with certainty whether they were made in Baghdad or in Kairouan by a Baghdadi artisan, the controversy over the origin of this precious collection agitates the specialists. Carefully executed in relief, it represents one of the most beautiful epigraphic bands of Islamic art. C’est un monument situé à l’extérieur de la médina de Kairouan, il est idéalement placé à l’entrée de la ville de sorte qu’il attire forcément les regards. ! The courtyard façade (or south façade) of the tower is pierced with windows that provide light and ventilation,[52] while the other three façades—facing north, east and west—are pierced with small openings in the form of arrowslits. These tiles are mainly decorated with floral and plant motifs (stylised flowers, palm leaves and asymmetrical leaves on bottom hatch and checkered) belong to two series: one polychrome characterised by a greater richness of tones ranging from light gold to light, dark or ocher yellow, and from brick-red to brown lacquer, the other monochrome is a beautiful luster that goes from smoked gold to green gold. The minaret served as a watchtower, as well as to call the faithful to prayer. [49], The door giving access to the minaret is framed by a lintel and jambs made of recycled carved friezes of antique origin. [12] The monumental entrance, work of the Hafsid sovereign Abu Hafs `Umar ibn Yahya (reign from 1284 to 1295),[38] is entered in a salient square, flanked by ancient columns supporting horseshoe arches and covered by a dome on squinches. [12] The front façade of the porch has a large horseshoe arch relied on two marble columns and surmounted by a frieze adorned with a blind arcade, all crowned by serrated merlons (in a sawtooth arrangement). [2] Its perimeter, of about 405 metres (1,329 ft), contains a hypostyle prayer hall, a marble-paved courtyard and a square minaret. Considered as the oldest example of concave mihrab, it dates in its present state to 862–863 AD.[79]. éditions Maison Tiers-Monde, [67] The other doors of the prayer hall, some of which date from the time of the Hafsids,[68] are distinguished by their decoration which consists essentially of geometric patterns (hexagonal, octagonal, rectangular patterns, etc.). kairouan.org le portail de référence, vous allez découvrir un patrimoine culturel et historique impressionnant de la ville de Kairouan classée héritage mondial par l’Unesco et prix Agha Khan d’architecture.. Plus de 600 pages web 350 rubriques et près de 2.000 images ! The wall of the mihrab is covered with 28 panels of white marble, carved and pierced, which have a wide variety of plant and geometric patterns including the stylised grape leaf, the flower and the shell. It is formed by an oven-shaped niche framed by two marble columns and topped by a painted wooden half-cupola. [85] Its main adornment is a frieze that crowns calligraphy, the latter surmounted by a line of pointed openwork merlons, features an inscription in flowery kufic character carved on the background of interlacing plants. It is the oldest minaret in the Muslim world,[53][54] and it is also the world's oldest minaret still standing. In the early twentieth century, the minbar had a painstaking restoration. [64], Enlightened by impressive chandeliers which are applied in countless small glass lamps,[65] the nave opens into the south portico of the courtyard by a monumental delicately carved wooden door, made in 1828 under the reign of the Husainids. The transmission of knowledge was assured by prominent scholars and theologians which included Sahnun ibn Sa'id and Asad ibn al-Furat, eminent jurists who contributed greatly to the dissemination of the Maliki thought, Ishaq ibn Imran and Ibn al-Jazzar in medicine, Abu Sahl al-Kairouani and Abd al-Monim al-Kindi in mathematics. [35] Early in the twentieth century, the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke describes his admiration for the impressive minaret: « Is there a more beautiful than this still preserved old tower, the minaret, in Islamic architecture? Bien que la représentation figurée ne soit pas interdite dans le Coran, elle ne trouve pas sa place dans les mosquées1. The courtyard is a vast trapezoidal area whose interior dimensions are approximately 67 by 52 metres. La Grande Mosquée de Kairouan - Lieux Saints et Sites sacrés de Tunisie - Duration: 4:53. Wooden brackets offer a wide variety of style and decor in the shape of a crow or a grasshopper with wings or fixed, they are characterised by a setting that combines floral painted or carved, with grooves. Voici un fichier Word qui présente, à l’aide de plusieurs photographies, la grande mosquée de Kairouan. Behind the openwork hint, there is an oldest niche on which several assumptions were formulated. This collection is a unique source for studying the history and evolution of calligraphy of medieval manuscripts in the Maghreb, covering the period from the ninth to the eleventh century. ÿÿ ÿÿ ÿÿ l b b b b 2 æ$ æ$ æ$ æ$ 4 % | 2 V ¼ ¢% ´&. This reflects the fact that, unlike the rest of the mosque, the enclosure has undergone significant changes to ensure the stability of the building (adding many buttresses). In the courtyard there are also several water wells some of which are placed side by side. [13] Despite the austere façades, the rhythmic patterns of buttresses and towering porches, some surmounted by cupolas, give the sanctuary a sense of striking sober grandeur. Activités éducatives (Carte Interactive): schéma d'une mosquée (histoire - cinquieme - islam) - Le schéma d'une mosquée pour repérer les différentes parties caractéristiques de l'architecture de ce lieu de culte musulman. The library window is marked by an elegant setting that has two columns flanking the opening, which is a horseshoe arch topped by six blind arches and crowned by a series of berms sawtooth.[86]. [16] With the gradual increase of the population of Kairouan and the consequent increase in the number of faithful, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, Umayyad Caliph in Damascus, charged his governor Bishr ibn Safwan to carry out development work in the city, which included the renovation and expansion of the mosque around the years 724–728. Their colorful multitude gives the eye the impression of unlimited". [50] The greater part of the minaret dates from the time of the Aghlabid princes in the ninth century. Comme nous nous y attendions, notre « guide » veut nous faire entrer dans une boutique. La Grandes Mosquée de Damas Construction et description Dans les régions du Proche - Orient et du Maghreb conquises après la mort de Mahomet, les Arabes occupent des villes anciennes ou fondent des villes nouvelles destinées aux garnisons de soldats. Plan de Kairouan publié par un voyageur britannique (1882). Around 690, shortly after its construction, the mosque was destroyed[15] during the occupation of Kairouan by the Berbers, originally conducted by Kusaila. Elle a servi de modèle aux autres mosquées de … [20], Under the rule of the Aghlabid dynasty, Kairouan was at its apogee, and the mosque profited from this period of stability and prosperity. These are the oldest fund of Maliki legal literature to have survived.[87]. Several centuries after its founding, the Great Mosque of Kairouan is the subject of numerous descriptions by Arab historians and geographers in the Middle Ages. ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿì¥Á M ø¿ § bjbjâ=â= ß] €W €W œ [13][14], At the foundation of Kairouan in 670, the Arab general and conqueror Uqba ibn Nafi (himself the founder of the city) chose the site of his mosque in the center of the city, near the headquarters of the governor. [60] Although the shafts are of varying heights, the columns are ingeniously arranged to support fallen arches harmoniously. Those in white marble come from Italy,[60] some shafts located in the area of the mihrab are in red porphyry imported from Egypt,[73] while those made of greenish or pink marble are from quarries of Chemtou, in the north-west of current Tunisia. From the eighteenth century, the French doctor and naturalist John Andrew Peyssonnel, conducting a study trip to 1724, during the reign of sovereign Al-Husayn Bey I, underlines the reputation of the mosque as a deemed centre of religious and secular studies: « The Great Mosque is dedicated to Uqba, where there is a famous college where we will study the remotest corners of this kingdom : are taught reading and writing of Arabic grammar, laws and religion. Kairouan (UNESCO/NHK) - Duration: … There are large rents for the maintenance of teachers. Au milieu du xixe siècle, la ville de Kairouan (Madînat al-Qayrawân) était formée de six quartiers dont la moitié était située intra-muros.