Great Mosque of Testour: An Andalusian Mosque in Tunisia
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Tunisia
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Ottoman
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Mosque
On this page9 sections
History
The Great Mosque of Testour is a mosque in Testour, Tunisia, founded by the Andalusian immigrant Mohamed Tagharinou during the first third of the seventeenth century, probably before 1631 and commonly dated to around 1630–1631. Standing in the center of the old city, it combines local Ifriqiyan traditions with Hispano-Moorish architectural and decorative techniques, making it a notable example of Morisco art in Tunisia.
Andalusian foundation
Mohamed Tagharinou settled in Testour in 1609 and became the mosque’s founder and patron. He belonged to the Andalusian immigrant communities that shaped the town, bringing architectural ideas associated with Al-Andalus, the Muslim-ruled region of the Iberian Peninsula. The mosque’s design reflects this cultural background while retaining forms rooted in the traditions of Ifriqiya, the historical region centered on present-day Tunisia.
Eighteenth-century enlargement
During the eighteenth century, the mosque was expanded with a second courtyard and an ablutions room on its northeastern side. The building continues to serve as an Islamic place of worship, with a capacity of approximately 1,000 worshippers.
Clock rehabilitation
In late 2014, the minaret clock was rehabilitated and returned to operation after almost three centuries out of service. The Tunisian engineer Abdel Halim Koundi, who was also of Andalusian origin, carried out the necessary studies voluntarily. Residents helped collect funds, with support from the Association for the Safeguarding of the Medina of Testour, the municipality, and the Goethe-Institut of Tunis through its Ma3marouNA project.
Remains
The mosque occupies a central position at the intersection of Testour’s main arteries. Its surviving complex is organized around two courtyards, a columned prayer hall, and a minaret at the northeastern corner. Limestone, colored ceramic, glazed tiles, roof tiles, Spanish marble, brickwork, and reused ancient architectural elements appear across the building.
Courtyards and ablutions area
The larger northern courtyard measures 17.70 by 26.20 meters. Porticoes surround it, their semicircular arches resting on limestone columns crowned by reused ancient capitals. The porticoes have single-pitch roofs that slope slightly inward, while reused ancient limestone slabs form part of the paving. A sundial made by Ahmed al-Harrar in 1761 stands at the courtyard’s center and formerly operated in connection with the minaret clock. The smaller courtyard has a single gallery supported by columns, with the ablutions room positioned on the northeastern side of the mosque.
Prayer hall
Six entrances lead into the rectangular prayer hall, which measures approximately 25.85 by 19.12 meters. Its plan is wider than it is deep and contains nine aisles set perpendicular to the qibla wall, the wall oriented toward Mecca, and seven bays. Two domes on pendentives, curved elements that support a dome over a square or polygonal space, align with the mihrab, the prayer niche indicating the direction of Mecca. Groin vaults, formed by the intersection of two barrel vaults, cover the remaining spaces and rest on horseshoe arches supported by columns with antique shafts and capitals.
The arrangement of the prayer hall directly follows Aghlabid Ifriqiyan architecture. The Aghlabids were a ninth-century ruling dynasty based in Ifriqiya whose mosques established important local traditions. The Testour mosque’s plan differs from the classical T-shaped arrangement because it does not enlarge both the central aisle and the bay along the qibla wall.
Mihrab and decorative work
The mihrab is framed by a projecting rectangle topped with a richly decorated triangular pediment. Its niche has tall, narrow fluting and a half-dome enclosed by a pointed horseshoe arch resting on small corner columns. Colored ceramic and projecting brickwork form part of the mihrab, while geometric and floral stucco decoration recalls Andalusian models. Similar stucco work appears in the domes, the lower part of the mihrab niche, and separate decorative panels.
Minaret and clock
The approximately 23-meter-high minaret consists of two towers placed one above the other. Its square lower tower measures 4.50 meters on each side and uses a Toledan construction technique, with brick chainwork and rubble infill. The upper tower is octagonal, richly decorated with glazed ceramic, and has paired windows at its upper level. A wooden lantern with a pyramidal roof crowns the structure. Its form recalls Aragonese bell towers and towers in southern Spain.
Solomon’s seals, six-pointed geometric emblems used in varied religious and decorative settings, embellish the minaret. An unusual mechanical clock is set below one of its windows. Its marble face has ceramic numerals, while the hands turn anticlockwise and the numerals face inward toward the center. This arrangement has been interpreted as possibly expressing a wish to return to the lost splendor of Al-Andalus. The mosque’s imposing tiled roofs, supported by a roof framework, reinforce its Andalusian architectural character.
