Mosque of the Dyers

The Medina in Tunis is packed with a number of great mosques of both religious and historical value; one of the finest of which is the Mosque of the Dyers which lies in Des Teinturiers Street. The mosque was built in 1716 by Hussein ben Ali, founder of the Husseinite line of beys (provincial governors). It is locally referred to as 'The Mosquée des Teinturiers' and 'The Djemaa el Djedid' ('The New Mosque'). In a vicinity of the area, one can see a medersa (Quranic school) as well as an Ottoman slender octagonal minaret. It was modeled on the Sidi Youssef Mosque. The interior is lavishly decorated and beautified with carved woodwork. The mosque's builder had two holy men buried in two graves inside the mosuqe. Hussein ben Ali intended that, after death, his body would be buried in a space ...Read More