Historical structures play a crucial role in leaving a mark, a color, and a voice for the future. They reflect every aspect of the atmosphere of the period in which they were built with their walls, decorations, and style. They bear the traces of their masters, their founders, and the rulers of the era who initiated their construction. Places of worship, in particular, assume primary and prior responsibility in this matter compared to other structures. Humanity’s need to construct places of worship throughout its journey on Earth began with altars and has continued in various forms. Most of the monumental works of the Islamic world are places of worship. Reflecting the world and the universe, the concept of tawhid, and the spirit of their era in numerous ways, mosques have adorned landscapes from east to west, serving as a hallmark of Islamic lands.
Tunisia, known as Ifriqiya during the Phoenician and Roman periods and boasting a rich history spanning three millennia, is home to an important place of worship that bears the marks of the past. Kairouan, the first Islamic city in North Africa, is another city where this rich cultural heritage is evident. The construction of the Sidi ‘Uqba Mosque in Kairouan, which was conquered during the caliphate of Uthman, marked the beginning of the establishment of a magnificent city. Kairouan, a center for carpet weaving, handicrafts, tourism, and grain trade, is one of Tunisia’s most important cities. Located in the heart of the desert and strategically positioned far from any maritime threats, Kairouan was established in a remarkably short period of five years. Situated near the north and in the heart of the Sahara, where local identities and traditional atmospheres are better preserved, the city is seen as the gateway to North Africa for Muslims and is considered the fourth-holiest city. Derived from the word “karwan” (caravan), the name “Kairouan” acquired its meaning as a “military camp” or “headquarters” after the conquest, due to the establishment of a military base there to ensure the region’s security. Kairouan, having hosted numerous students from Ifriqiya, the Maghreb, and Andalusia, has made its historical mark as a center of learning, homing many scholars, writers, poets, physicians, and philosophers. In a city dominated by local elements, the belief that the water continuously drawn from the 20-meter Barutta Well by a blindfolded camel is connected to zamzam water and that those who drink it will return to Kairouan persists. Having been designated the Islamic Culture Capital in 2009, Kairouan has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The most magnificent structure in Kairouan, the cultural capital of Tunisia, is the fortress-like Sidi ‘Uqba Mosque. According to legends, the location of the mosque was determined by a dream of the commander of the conquest, and its minaret was the first part to be constructed. Founded in 670, the mosque is also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan or the Jami’ al[1]Kabir. The mosque, which was damaged during the Berber invasion, has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. Despite these destructions, the original mihrab from the early period has been preserved, and restoration and expansion efforts have been carried out based on this mihrab. With the change in political leadership, subsequent additions and expansions have been carefully carried out with a focus on preserving the original mihrab. The mosque, which also bears traces of Roman architectural influence, is supported by 365 columns. The prayer hall consists of seven arched bays and seventeen aisles. Tunis, conquered by Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1534, came under Ottoman rule. A sundial was added to the mosque during a restoration in 1624. Each wall of this majestic place of worship, whose floor is covered with marble, remains alive to this day as a work of art of Islamic aesthetics that has found its expression in the West. Through a comprehensive restoration project completed in 1972, the Sidi ‘Uqba Mosque was brought to its present state.
When viewed from the outside, the mosque resembles a fortress with its tall buttresses, and its square body and irregular quadrilateral plan bear the marks of history. One can enter the mosque through eight gates, referring to the eight gates of heaven. Its courtyard is surrounded on four sides by double porticoes and marble columns with horseshoe arches and decorated with geometric and floral compositions.
The arches are designed to be tall, maximizing the amount of natural light that enters the interior space. The Kufic inscriptions, decorations, and plant motifs, inscribed on stone and wood, reflect the aesthetic of early Islamic art in the mosque’s ornamentation. These decorations, serving as examples for the ornamentation of Maghreb mosques, are simple in design. Located in the northwest corner of the mosque, the minaret is approximately ten meters wide and thirty-two meters tall, consisting of three tiers.
The square minaret holds symbolic significance as it is considered as one of the earliest minarets in the Islamic world and the place where the first adhan in North Africa is believed to have been recited. Moreover, it serves as a precursor for the minaret form that would become prevalent in North African and Andalusian architecture.
The decorations intensifies in front of and around the mihrab. While the minaret is primarily adorned with geometric motifs, the mihrab features grape vine branches and leaves, grape clusters, pomegranates, date palm branches, and various floral patterns. The mihrab’s ornamentation is like a seal that proclaims the mosque as a work of art. Located in the center of the qibla wall, the mihrab’s niche is adorned with painted wooden decorations of grape vine branches and leaves. Except for the domes over the mihrab and the entrance to the central courtyard, the mosque has a flat roof, reminiscent of the Qiblah masjid in Masjid al-Aqsa. The original minbar of the Sidi ‘Uqba Mosque, likely dating back to the Abbasid era, has survived from the 9th century. This mosque, one of the monumental sanctuaries of the Islamic world, is like an oasis in the desert, connecting the past to the present.
