AL QUARAOUIYINE MOSQUE

This mosque was founded in the 9th century by a woman, Fatima Al Fihri, who came from Tunisia to settle in Fez in the Kairouan district, like many of her compatriots at the time (hence the name of the mosque). The minaret dates back to 956, but it is the only remnant of the prime era. The current construction dates from the Almoravid Ali ben Youssef in 1135. The latter made it a monument of knowledge, and the university, one of the oldest in the world, received students from all over Morocco at the time, but also from foreign countries. Among the most famous are Ibn Khaldun, the philosopher and historian, and Hassan el-Ouazzan, better known as Leon the African. Today, about a hundred students live on site in the medersas dispatched to the medina. The central oratory, with its 270 columns, can accommodate up to 20,000 people for Friday prayer. As for the very old library, rehabilitated in 2016, it contains more than 24,000 books, including 10,000 manuscripts. It contains one of the oldest Korans in the world and other important manuscripts written by famous authors including the philosopher Ibn Tofail and the historian Ibn Khaldoun. Access to the mosque is obviously forbidden to non-Muslims. It has 14 entrance doors, each of which had a social function: that of men, women, the dead... To enjoy a beautiful view, it is possible to have a drink at the palace of Fez, the restaurant adjoining the mosque.