Description of the attraction
The most famous attraction in Sousse is the Great Mosque. It was built in 850-851 by the emir Abul Abbaz Mohammed from the Aghlabid dynasty. The building was built similar to the Sidi Okba Mosque in Cairo. The inner courtyard and galleries of the mosque were built in the 1650s, and the entire complex, including the prayer rooms, was restored in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century.
The mosque is easy to recognize by its unusual appearance, because it looks more like a building with two watchtowers at the southeastern and northern ends, that is, a kind of military structure. It is no coincidence that the mosque has such a plan - earlier it also served as a defensive structure. During the war with Christians, the mosque grew in size - new halls and passages were being completed. The main feature of the mosque is the minaret, which is accessed by a staircase from the courtyard. Numerous loopholes have been cut through the walls of the building overlooking the courtyard. Each loophole is decorated with semicircular arches and painted with a Kufi pattern. In the 20th century, the building was restored to its original appearance, removing some relatively recent buildings.
Several styles are found in the architectural composition of the mosque, including the Roman one: prayer halls and courtyard galleries are decorated with Roman columns with elaborately carved marble capitals. The ceiling of the galleries is painted and decorated with vaulted carvings.
On the territory of the mosque there is a museum with a large number of relics, open to all visitors, but only Muslims are allowed to enter the prayer halls.
