Bab Guissa Mosque
About the place
- Country : Morocco , Fes
- Address : Bab Guissa Medina, Fes, Morocco
- Category : Mosques
Bab Guissa Mosque
Overview:
The "Bab Al-Kisa" mosque or the "Bab Guissa" mosque, according to the original name, is an ancient mosque and considered one of the most beautiful monuments of the old city of Fez.
The “Bab Guissa” mosque is located on a rocky ridge, which gave it a special shape due to the slope of the site on which it was built.
From its height, the mosque has a beautiful view of the city of Fez.
Historic overview:
Historians believe that the mosque was built during the era of the Marinid state, as it bears a small column, installed on one of its outer corners, a marble crown on which the name of Sultan "Abu al-Hasan al-Marini" is engraved, who ruled Morocco between 1331 and 1351 AD, and his school was restored during the era of the Alawite state at the hands of Sultan Sidi Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Ismail in the 12th century AH-18th AD.
As for the name of the mosque, it was taken from the name of the northern gate of the city, which is located adjacent to the ancient wall of the city, which is one of the most important entrances to the city of Fez. Over time, the residents of Fez shortened the name of the door and the mosque in Guissa, with the letter jim pronounced as the Egyptians pronounced it.
Architectural Description:
The total area of Bab Guissa Mosque is estimated at 1133 square meters, while the prayer hall is 500 square meters with a capacity of 660 worshipers.
The mosque includes a rectangular prayer hall consisting of two tiles parallel to the qibla wall, an open square courtyard surrounded by a portico on three sides, and a school that includes a number of rooms spread over two floors and designated to accommodate students.
The northern façade of the mosque includes a square minaret, and on the southern façade there is El Jenaïz mosque. The aforementioned mosque has a fountain and a water path coming from a place near the Bastion stone, outside the Bab Guissa.
The mosque is beautiful from the outside and from the inside as well in terms of its architecture and the scales that were adopted in its construction, and it is a living example of the beauty of Arab-Islamic architecture in Morocco.
Resources:
Encyclopedia of the city of Fez website
Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs website
aawsat website
