Sidi Okba Mosque
| Sidi Okba Mosque | |
|---|---|
مسجد سيدي عقبة | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Sidi Okba |
| Country | Algeria |
Location of the mosque in north Algeria | |
Interactive map of Sidi Okba Mosque | |
| Coordinates | 34°44′56″N 5°53′59″E / 34.7490277°N 5.8996375°E |
| Architecture | |
| Completed |
|
| Specifications | |
| Dome | 2 |
| Minaret | 1 |
| Shrine | 1: (Uqba ibn Nafi) |
| Materials | Stucco; timber |
The Sidi Okba Mosque (Arabic: مسجد سيدي عقبة, romanized: Masjid Sīdī ʻUqbah) is a mosque, located in the village of Sidi Okba, near Biskra, in Algeria. A mausoleum was established in 686 CE to house the remains of Uqba ibn Nafi, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and one of the prominent commanders of the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, making it one of the oldest Muslim monuments in Algeria.[1] The mosque was built around the tomb and has been renovated many times over the centuries.[2][3] The mosque is located in the locality of Sidi Okba, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of the town of Tabuda and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of the city of Biskra, on the National road number 38, toward the locality of Khenguet Sidi Nadji.[4][3]
History
ʻUqbah ibn Nāfiʻ, on his return from the victorious Battle of Vescera in the Atlas Mountains, was killed by the army of the Berber Christian king Kusayla ibn Lamzah in an ambush outside the town of Thouda in 683 CE.[5] He was buried in the village of Sidi Okba, and later the mosque was built on top of it for commemoration. It is not exactly recorded who built the mosque; some consider that it was the followers of Uqba who were captured during the battle, and later redeemed by the judges in Tunis from the prison. Commander Zuhayr ibn Qays sent them back along with other Muslims to Thouda, where they built the mosque.[4]
The building was not constructed all at once[2] and was likely remodeled and expanded several times.[1] The tomb, the oldest part, probably dates from 686,[3] making it one of the first known Muslim monuments in Algeria.[1] The decorated cedar-wood doors of the tomb have been dated by Georges Marçais the first half of the 11th century (c. 1025) during the Zirid period, based on a stylistic comparison with Zirid woodwork in the Great Mosque of Kairouan and with contemporary inscriptions on stelae found in Tunisia.[6][3] This likely indicates a major renovation at this time.[3]
A zawiya was added to the mosque in 1665.[2] Other inscriptions found in the mosque likely indicate the dates of further repairs or expansions.[3] One inscription dates the mosque's mihrab from 1214 AH (1799/1800 CE) and another inscription on a wooden plaque dates from 1215 AH (1800/1801CE).[3][2] These inscriptions also name Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-Tunisi as the sponsor of the work.[2]
Architecture
The mosque is irregularly shaped, and it is 60 metres (200 ft) long and 37 metres (121 ft) wide. It consists of three hallways and the main door at the south.[4] The building is designed in very simple hypostyle manner, similar to the earliest mosque built by Muhammad in Medina. The mostly flat roof of the prayer hall is supported by undecorated horseshoe arches held up by whitewashed columns, some of which are made of palm tree trunks.[2][3] There are two domes: one above the mausoleum and the other in front of the mihrab.[3] The mihrab is covered by a semi-dome and is decorated with stucco carved in simple and irregular interlace patterns, including engaged columns with capitals carved with grooves and stylized palm-tree motifs.[1][3] The mausoleum occupies the southwest corner of the mosque.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Benouis, Farida; Chérid, Houria; Drias, Lakhdar; Semar, Amine (2022). "I.1.a Sidi Okba". An Architecture of Light: Islamic Art in Algeria. Translated by Harter, Judy. Museum With No Frontiers. ISBN 9783902782229. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Mausoleum and Mosque of Sayyidī (Sidi) 'Uqba". Qantara-med. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lafer, Ali. "Sidi 'Uqba (mosque, minaret and tomb)". Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c مساجد لها تاريخ.. مسجد عقبة بن نافع بــبــسكرة في الجزائر. Al-Bilad (in Arabic). Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ Conant, Jonathan (2012). Staying Roman: Conquest and Identity in Africa and the Mediterranean, 439-700. Cambridge University Press. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-521-19697-0. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ Bourouiba, Rachid (1973). L'art religieux musulman en Algérie (in French). Algiers: S.N.E.D. p. 26.
Further reading
- Marçais, Georges (1957). "Le tombeau de Sidi-Oqba". Mélanges d’histoire et d’archéologie de l’occident musulman (in French). pp. 151–159.
External links
Media related to Sidi-Okba Mosque at Wikimedia Commons
- Images of Sidi Okba Mosque in Manar al-Athar digital heritage archive