Ez Zitouna Mosque
The Ez-Zitouna-Mosque ( arab. جامع الزيتونة, DMG Ǧāmiʿ az-Zaytūna 'Olive Tree Mosque', also known as the "Great Mosque") is the most important mosque in Tunis , the capital of Tunisia .
After the Sidi Oqba Mosque in Kairouan , the Ez Zitouna Mosque is the largest and most important mosque in Tunisia. It is located in the center of the medina (old town) of Tunis. The Aghlabids built it in 856 on a small previous building from the 8th century, but it was later rebuilt and expanded several times. The minaret, for example, dates from the 19th century.
Between the 13th and 15th centuries, the mosque was expanded into a university complex. Along with the al-Azhar of Cairo and the Kairaouine of Fès , it was considered one of the most important places of study in Islam . Her most famous student was the geographer Ibn Battuta . It was not until the new University of Tunis was founded in 1960 that the Ez-Zitouna Mosque lost its importance as an educational institution.
The mosque consists of a 15-aisled prayer hall, an inner courtyard surrounded by columns and a square minaret . Only a small section of the courtyard is accessible to non-Muslims.
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Coordinates: 36 ° 47 ′ 50 ″ N , 10 ° 10 ′ 16 ″ E