As-Sunna Mosque (Rabat)

As-Sunna Mosque
مسجد السنة
The minaret of the mosque.
Religion
Sect(Maliki) Sunni
Location
LocationRabat, Morocco
Geographic coordinates34°0′47.9″N 6°49′58.6″W / 34.013306°N 6.832944°W / 34.013306; -6.832944
Architecture
Typemosque
StyleAlaouite, Moroccan, Islamic
FounderSultan Moulay Mohammed ben Abdallah
Completed1785 CE
Minaret(s)1

The As-Sunna Mosque or Assounna Mosque (among other similar spellings; Arabic: مسجد السنة, lit. 'Mosque of the Sunnah') is a large mosque in central Rabat, Morocco. It is one of the largest mosques in Morocco.[1]

History

The mosque was founded by the 'Alawi sultan Moulay Mohammed ben Abdallah (who briefly made Rabat his royal capital) and was completed in 1785.[2][3][4] However, it was almost entirely restored in the 19th century.[2] In 1969, on the occasion of King Hassan II's 40th birthday, the mosque was renovated again and its minaret was moved from its original position at the northwest corner of the mosque and reconstructed "stone by stone" at the mosque's southwest corner, where it stands today, in order to enhance its perspective along the axis of Avenue Mohammed V.[5][6][7]

Architecture

The mosque occupies a visually prominent position on Avenue Mohammed V, one of the main boulevards of downtown Rabat.[1] Just west and south of it is the Royal Palace. The building has a nearly square floor plan measuring roughly 74 meters per side with a surface area of 5565 metres, making it the fourth largest historic mosque in Morocco.[2][1][4] It has a relatively standard layout for a Moroccan mosque, featuring a large rectangular courtyard (sahn) surrounded by galleries and a prayer hall consisting of three main transverse aisles running parallel to the qibla (southeastern) wall.[2][4] At either end of the courtyard, aligned with the side entrances, are ornamental pavilions which recall a similar arrangement at the much older al-Qarawiyyin Mosque in Fes.[1] The northern part of the mosque is occupied by additional rooms which once housed students.[2] The minaret, featuring decorative motifs carved along its four facades, is located at the southwest corner but originally stood on its northwest corner. The mosque has multiple ornamental gateways and traditional Moroccan decoration inside.[2][1]

  • The minaret of the mosque.
    The minaret of the mosque.
  • One of the mosque's main entrances.
    One of the mosque's main entrances.
  • The courtyard of the mosque
    The courtyard of the mosque
  • View inside the prayer hall
    View inside the prayer hall

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Mosquée As-Sounna". Inventaire et Documentation du Patrimoine Culturel du Maroc (in French). Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Marçais, Georges (1954). L'architecture musulmane d'Occident. Paris: Arts et métiers graphiques. p. 391.
  3. ^ Touri, Abdelaziz; Benaboud, Mhammad; Boujibar El-Khatib, Naïma; Lakhdar, Kamal; Mezzine, Mohamed (2010). Le Maroc andalou : à la découverte d'un art de vivre (2 ed.). Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Royaume du Maroc & Museum With No Frontiers. ISBN 978-3902782311.
  4. ^ a b c El Mghari, Mina (2017). "Tendances architecturales de la mosquée marocaine (XVIIème-XIXème siècles)". Hespéris-Tamuda. LII (3): 229–254.
  5. ^ "Welcome to Rabat, our UNESCO World Heritage capital! - Le futur du Maroc | Radijojo". radijojo.org. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  6. ^ "Assounna Mosque | Interior view, coupola". Archnet. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  7. ^ "Mosquée Al-Sounna-lycee Moulay Youssef" (in French). Retrieved 2020-04-13.
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