Sidi El Haloui Mosque

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Sidi El Haloui Mosque
مسجد سيدي الحلوي
Aerial view of the mosque in 1976
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
StatusActive
Location
LocationTlemcen
CountryAlgeria
Sidi El Haloui Mosque is located in Northern Algeria
Sidi El Haloui Mosque
Location of the mosque in northern Algeria
Map
Geographic coordinates34°53′17″N 1°18′28.6″W / 34.88806°N 1.307944°W / 34.88806; -1.307944
Architecture
TypeMosque, mausoleum
FounderAbu Inan Faris
Date established754 AH (1353/1354 CE)
Specifications
Minaret(s)1
Minaret height25 m (82 ft)

The Sidi El Haloui Mosque (Arabic: مسجد سيدي الحلوي; French: Mosquée Sidi El Haloui), also spelled as the Sidi el-Halwi Mosque,[1] is a Sunni mosque and religious complex in Tlemcen, Algeria.

History

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The mosque is dedicated to Abū Abdallāh al-Shūdhī, known as Sīdī al-Halwī, a qadi from Seville who came to Tlemcen in the late 13th century. He was later accused of sorcery, probably as part of a defamatory plot, and executed either in 1305[2] or 1337 CE.[3][4] Following the rehabilitation of his reputation, the Marinid sultan Abu Inan erected this religious complex next to his mausoleum in 754 AH (1353/1354 CE).[2][5]

Architecture

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The historical complex consists of a mosque, the tomb of Sidi el Haloui built next to it, and an ablutions facility across the road.[2][6] The complex also formerly included a madrasa and a zawiya, that has not survived.[2] The mausoleum is a modest structure.[2] The ablutions hall is covered by a central dome and contained latrines.[2][6]

Similar in design to the Sidi Boumediene Mosque that was built by Abu Inan's father Abu al-Hasan in Tlemcen over a decade earlier,[2][6] the Sidi El Haloui Mosque consists of a square sahn with a central fountain and surrounded by an arcaded riwaq, while on the south side of this is the prayer hall, a hypostyle hall divided by rows of pointed horseshoe arches into five naves or aisles. Unlike the Sidi Boumediene Mosque, the arches are not supported by pillars but by onyx columns. The columns were most likely taken from the former Palace of Victory at al-Mansourah, which was built by Abu al-Hasan. Some of these columns are also found in the mausoleum of Sidi Boumediene, probably added by Abu Inan there around the same time.[2][6]

In the middle of the southeast wall is the mihrab, a hexagonal niche covered by a small muqarnas cupola. The mosque's minaret, approximately 25 metres (82 ft) high, stands at the northwest corner and its façades are decorated by interlacing sebka motifs. The rest of the mosque's original decoration, around the arches of the prayer hall and the outer entrance portal, has not been preserved.[2][6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mosquée Sid El Haloui". ArchNet. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Marçais, Georges (1954). L'architecture musulmane d'Occident (in French). Paris: Arts et métiers graphiques. p. 278.
  3. ^ "Mosquée Sidi El Haloui". Atlas Arhéologique Algérien (in French). 2021. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "La mosquée Sidi El Haloui". Direction du Tourisme et de l'Artisanat de Tlemcen (in French). Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  5. ^ Salmon, Xavier (2021). Fès mérinide: Une capitale pour les arts, 1276-1465 (in French). Lienart. p. 210. ISBN 9782359063356.
  6. ^ a b c d e Lafer, Ali. "Sidi al-Haloui Mosque". Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
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Media related to Sidi El Haloui Mosque at Wikimedia Commons