Ez-Zitouna Mosque

In the heart of the Great Mosque, known as Ez-Zitouna, the Mosque of the Olive Tree, is the largest and most holy sanctuary in Tunis. Its foundation goes back to the birth of the town itself.
However, it was completely rebuilt by the Aghlabid Emir Ibrahim bin Ahmed(856-863) . The pillared hall has no fewer than 184 antique columns and capitals which probably came from the ruins of Carthage, all harmoniously integrated into the structure. Since then the monument has been improved successively by the subsequent dynasties.
The dome of the "bahou" (above the entrance to the prayer chamber on the courtyard side) is a good example of Zirid art (11th century) where the wealth of alcoves goes perfectly with the bi-coloured stone. The library, which occupies a wing of the building to the east of the prayer chamber, was founded by Sultan Abou Othman in 1450. At the beginning of the 16th century the east façade of the building was complemented by a columned gallery. The Turkish contribution is seen in the addition of a gallery round three sides of the courtyard (1653) and the constuction of a new minaret which was replaced in 1843 by a 44 metre tower whose décor was inspired by the Moorish minaret of the Kasbah mosque.
This sanctuary, round which the life of the town revolves, was built at the intersection of two important routes (north-south and East-West). The souks of the noble trade guilds surround it in order of seniority. Bookshops, perfumers, cloth merchants and dried fruit merchants are privileged to be allowed next to its walls while the other activities are organized around the periphery, thus forming a large and animated business quarter whose traditions go back for centuries.
In the beginning the Great Mosque was the political and religious center where business agreements and deals were also made. However, it soon lost its secular role and acquired an ever-growing religious significance. Its fame as an educational center for law and religious study attracted, as well as students from the capital, many others from the interior of the country and from abroad (Maghreb and Africa).
The medersas offered these latter free lodging. Today the tradition is carried on by the modern Zitouna University which provides religious study and gathers together the faithful for the five daily prayers and above all for Friday prayers and those of important festivals.