Name of Monument:

Hammouda Pacha Mosque

Location:

Tunis medina, Tunisia

Responsible Institution (original language):

Ministère des Affaires religieuses

Date of Monument:

18th century

History:

This mosque was built on top of the kasbah by the Muradid sovereign, Hammouda Pacha Bey, in the 17th century, and was modelled on the Turkish mosque built by Youssef Dey near the Sidi Ahmed Ben Arous zawiya on the intersection between Rue Sidi Ben Arous and the kasbah. The mosque is also located near the Great Zaytuna Mosque, which gave these new Hanafi masters some legitimacy.

Description:

The Hammouda Pacha Mosque is an example of a new type of architecture, with a square floor and a pyramid roof with green tiles. The décor is rich and varied, featuring many panels in carved stucco and marquetery, with alternating motifs on a black and white marble base, and elements of baroque decorations can be seen on the façade of the tourba. Other innovative elements include a V-shaped courtyard, an octagonal minaret and a mausoleum (tourbet). This mausoleum marked the opening of the first funerary mosque in Tunis, which creates a link between the place of worship and the founder's tomb.

Citation of this web page:

Saloua Khadhar Zangar "Hammouda Pacha Mosque " in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monuments;AWE;tn;8;en

Prepared by: Saloua Khadhar Zangar
Translation by: Flaminia Baldwin

MWNF Working Number: TN 008