GREAT MOSQUE AL MANSOURI AL KABIR AND ITS SURROUNDINGS

Ten minutes walk from the clock tower (Tall Square) stands the mosque high by Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil on the remains of the former Sainte-Marie Cross Cathedral of the Tower of the Crusaders. It is also believed that the large rectangular minaret was the steeple of the cross cathedral. Even the north portal is reminiscent of that of a church. According to an inscription in sculpted Arabic, the Great Mosque was built in 1294 by Sultan Ashraf son of Qualaoun. The building respects a classic plan. The walls of a stone's porticos surround a courtyard at the centre of which a stone pool is set aside for ritual?. It is possible to penetrate inside the mosque by taking care of withdrawing his shoes and - for women - to cover the head of a headscarf. If the court deserves a glance, the prayer room, on the other hand, does not show great interest.

On the east side of the mosque is the beautiful Madrassa Al-Qartawiyat (religious school), built in the 1316 th century by the Amir Qaratay who ruled Tripoli from 1325 to. The building is remarkable and attractive. His builders used high columns with novels to adorn his portal. Admire its entrance door decorated with polychrome stalactites and marble. The. has a. and a baptistery of the capitals. Opposite this madrassa is one of the oldest bread kilns in Tripoli.