The Great Mosque or Olive-Tree Mosque (Djemaa ez Zitouna) in Tunis is the most important mosque in Tunisia after the Sidi Oqba Mosque in Kairouan. Even though non-Muslims may not enter the prayer hall it is well worth looking into the impressive inner courtyard (open daily, except Fridays, 8-11am).
The building of the mosque was begun by the Omayyads in 732. In 864 it was completely rebuilt by the Aghlabids, presumably because it was found to be too small, and in subsequent centuries it was repeatedly altered. The dome over the central bay was added in 991, the library in 1419. The vestibule was built by the Turks in 1637, the ceilings in the interior renewed in 1782. In the 19th century the minaret was increased in height by 44m/144ft; there is a magnificent view from the top over the roofs of the Medina. The fifteen-aisled prayer hall is six bays deep.
Beautiful horseshoe arches supporting the fine timber ceiling are borne on columns, most of them antique. The mihrab, under a beautiful dome of the Zirid period, is a masterpiece of Oriental carving. The floor is covered not with carpets but with esparto-grass mats. The large crystal chandeliers came from Murano (Italy). Adjoining the mosque are the premises of its college of theology and Islamic law, which once ranked with the El Azhar Mosque in Cairo and the Kairaouine University in Fez as one of the leading centers of Islamic teaching. Since the foundation of the National University in 1960 it has declined in importance.
Mausoleum of Sidi Kassem el Zilliji