Tinmal Friday mosque
Date:
ca. 1153
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Morocco
Description:
In the twelfth century, the Almohads of North Africa first established their capital in the isolated mountain village of Tinmal, south of Marrakesh. By 1147, they conquered Marrakesh and overthrew the ruling Almoravid dynasty. The congregational mosque of Tinmal was built shortly thereafter, around 1153. In keeping with the the strict orthodoxy of the Almohads, the mosque's decoration is restrained. It does, however, use ornament to direct the faithful towards the most important spaces. Of the horseshoe arches in the prayer hall, those in front of the qibla wall are the most ornate, leading the eye to the even more elaborate, roomlike mihrab.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
Introduction,
7
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons; mauritius images GmbH/Michael Runkel/Alamy Stock Photo, 2008; Navid Jamali
