Great Mosque of Tlemcen

The Great Mosque of Tlemcen was founded in 1082 under the Almoravids and enlarged in the following century, and it holds one of the finest pieces of western Islamic architecture in the country: the dome in front of the mihrab, built of pierced and carved plaster ribs arranged so that light filters through the openings into the prayer hall below, with a carved plaster mihrab beneath it worked in vegetal and epigraphic ornament. The prayer hall is a grid of horseshoe arches on piers. The minaret was added in the thirteenth century under the Zayyanids, whose capital this was, and stands over the courtyard beside the old town centre.

What you actually see

• The pierced plaster dome - carved ribs filtering light over the mihrab.
• The carved mihrab - vegetal and inscribed plasterwork.
• Horseshoe arch prayer hall - the Almoravid grid on piers.
• The thirteenth-century minaret - the Zayyanid addition over the court.

When to go

March to June and September to November. One hour. Come outside prayer times, dress modestly, and expect women to be asked to cover their hair.

Honest expectations

Access for non-Muslims depends on who is at the door and is not guaranteed. Interior photography is often not permitted. The dome is difficult to see well in low light. There is no interpretation on site.

Nearby

The Mechouar palace is nearby; Mansourah lies west.