Sidi Bellahsen Mosque

Sidi Belhassen Mosque (Arabic: مسجد سيدي بلحسن‎) is a historic mosque in the city of Tlemcen, Algeria. The mosque is located in the southwest of the square next to the Great Mosque of Tlemcen. Today it serves as a museum.

Sidi Bellahsen Mosque
Sidi Belhassen Mosque
Religion
AffiliationIslam
ProvinceTlemcen
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusMosque
Location
Location Algeria, Tlemcen
Shown within Algeria
Geographic coordinates34.882921°N 1.3112971°W / 34.882921; -1.3112971
Architecture
TypeMosque
Minaret(s)1

History

The mosque was founded in 1296 by the emir Abi Ibrahim ibn Yahya during the Zayyanid era as inscribed on the plank of the western wall in the prayer hall, as well as the two groves made of gypsum on top of the mihrab. The current name of the mosque is considered derived from the name of the local qadi and ulama Abi al-Hassan who served under the rule of the Sultan Abi Sayeed Uthman (1283-1303).

Architecture

The mosque has rather modest appearance compared to the other mosques of the same era. The mosque has no sahn and uses similar tiles for the floor and the qibla wall. The ceiling was consisted of interlocking logs made of cedar trees, which is the first of its kind in Algeria and predates three or four centuries the style employed in the Andalusian Moorish architecture.

See also

References
  • Bourouiba, R., L’art religieux musulman en Algérie, Alger : S.N.E.D., 1981, p. 108-129.
  • Bourouiba, A., Apports de l'Algérie à l'architecture arabo-islamique, Alger : S.N.E.D., 1986. Basset, H. ; Terrasse, H., « Sanctuaires et Forteresses almohades », in Hespéris, V, Paris : 1932.
  • Marçais, G., L'architecture musulmane d'Occident, Tunisie, Algérie, Maroc, Espagne et Sicile, Paris : Arts et métiers graphiques, 1954.
  • Marçais, G., Tlemcen, Paris : H. Laurens, « Les villes d'art célèbres », 1950.
  • Marçais, G., Les monuments arabes de Tlemcen, Paris : Fontemoing, 1905.
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