The Mosque of the Three Doors
History
The mosque is a simple neighborhood oratory, was built around 252 of the Hegira (866) by the Andalusian merchant living in Kairouan, Muhammed bin Khairūn al-Ma'āfirī al-Andalusī. This is confirmed by the Andalusian historian Ibn Idhari (14th century) as well as by the inscription on the facade. Subsequently, the mosque underwent restoration work with the addition of a small minaret in the Hafsid period, around 1440
Urban and Architectural
The Three Doors Mosque, although relatively modest in size, is an important monument in Kairouan because, with its ancient ornamentation dating back to the reign of the Aghlabids and its original inscriptions, the facade holds a special place in Islamic architecture.
Description
The facade, seven meters high, is the most remarkable component of the building. Considered one of the most beautiful specimens of Islamic architecture, it constitutes a veritable inventory of the Kairouan decorative repertoire during the Aghlabid period1. Its layout, axial and symmetrical, comprises three paired and horseshoe arches which rest on reused antique columns; the middle one is taller and wider than the other two. The spandrels of the arches are decorated with an exuberant decoration of scrollwork interwoven with stylized three- or five-lobed vine leaves which recall the decoration of the painted wooden half-dome of the mihrab of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.
References
https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;isl;tn;mon01;26;fr
https://www.qantara-med.org/public/show_document.php?do_id=405
Details
Location
Medina of kairouan Tunisia
Worshippers
40
Owners
Mohammed ibn Khayroun
Year of Build
866
Area
120
Drawings
Map
History
The mosque is a simple neighborhood oratory, was built around 252 of the Hegira (866) by the Andalusian merchant living in Kairouan, Muhammed bin Khairūn al-Ma'āfirī al-Andalusī. This is confirmed by the Andalusian historian Ibn Idhari (14th century) as well as by the inscription on the facade. Subsequently, the mosque underwent restoration work with the addition of a small minaret in the Hafsid period, around 1440
Urban and Architectural
The Three Doors Mosque, although relatively modest in size, is an important monument in Kairouan because, with its ancient ornamentation dating back to the reign of the Aghlabids and its original inscriptions, the facade holds a special place in Islamic architecture.
Description
The facade, seven meters high, is the most remarkable component of the building. Considered one of the most beautiful specimens of Islamic architecture, it constitutes a veritable inventory of the Kairouan decorative repertoire during the Aghlabid period1. Its layout, axial and symmetrical, comprises three paired and horseshoe arches which rest on reused antique columns; the middle one is taller and wider than the other two. The spandrels of the arches are decorated with an exuberant decoration of scrollwork interwoven with stylized three- or five-lobed vine leaves which recall the decoration of the painted wooden half-dome of the mihrab of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.