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_Bab Guissa Mosque

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The mosque is situated right within the northern city gate known as Bab Guissa and takes up an area of around 1440m2. The mosque’s minaret is noticeable on the northern skyline of the medina due to its elevated location in relation to the rest of Fes el-Bali (historic city).The minaret is unadorned and generally plain. The mosque’s main entrance is located near to the minaret’s base on its eastern side. A larger square frame with a band of darj-w-ktaf or sebka and interlacing semicircles around the doorway’s arch are two examples of the traditional Moroccan patterns used to ornament Moroccan architecture (a pattern with shapes similar to palmettes or fleur-de-lys). A carved and painted wooden canopy is located above the door.

Traditional Moroccan architecture also features a wooden canopy that has been carved and painted above the door. A small outdoor gallery with wall fountains for ablutions (ritual washing before prayer) next to this entrance and adjacent to the city wall is embellished with mosaic tiles (zellij) in geometric designs as well as tiles painted with arabesques and Arabic calligraphy.

The main prayer hall is located on the mosque’s southeast side, and it is surrounded on three sides by galleries. The interior of the mosque is dominated by the relatively wide courtyard, or Sahn, which is typical of medieval Moroccan mosques. Although the courtyard features a customary central fountain, it also contains a number of uncommon fig trees that provide shade. The main prayer hall is only two rows deep and is somewhat short. A row of stained glass windows with grilles in geometric shapes is set into the upper portion of the wall that surrounds the mihrab (a niche on the qibla wall that designates the direction of prayer). The wall is lavishly ornamented with sculpted plaster.

Mosque Data

Architect

Type

Local

Country

Morocco

Owner/Founder

Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman

Year

Area

1440 m2

Drawings

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