The Ruined Mosque of Mansourah

The Mansourah Mosque is a former mosque in a ruinous state, situated in the city of Mansourah in the province of Tlemcen, northwestern Algeria. As a national monument, it is located within the Tlemcen National Park. The structure was completed in 701 AH (1301/1302 CE) during the Marinid era and formed part of the Mansourah Castle.

Excavations have revealed that the mosque was built by Sultan Abu Yaqub. The decoration of its main gate was later completed under the patronage of Abu al-Hassan in 735 AH (1334/1335 CE). The interior complex features 13 doors surrounded by a wall, along with a sahn containing a central fountain. This sahn is surrounded by three corridors that use tilework similar to that of the prayer hall.

The prayer hall is connected directly to the sahn and features tilework similar to the qibla wall, echoing the design of the 13th-century Baybars Mosque in Samarra. The main entrance leads to a square-shaped minaret that stands 38 metres tall, inspired by the minarets of previous dynasties in North Africa and Iberia. Today, only three sides of the minaret remain.

While much of the mosque is in ruins, historical fragments are preserved elsewhere. Short sections of the former walls and onyx columns are kept in the National Museum of Art and History in Tlemcen and in the National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Art in Algiers.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons