Address :   Street of Jemaa Ezzitouna, (Souk Al Fakkah)

The big mosque of Azzitouna was built by Abd Allalh Ibn al Habhab in 114 H/732 AD, probably over an ancient building that had been transformed into a place of worship for Muslims by the conqueror Hassan Ibn an-No'mane in 79 H/698 AD. In 250 H/864 AD it was completely rebuilt by the Aghlabid Emir Abou Ibrahim Ahmed (242-249 H/856-863 AD) under the order of the Caliph of Baghdad; the architect in charge of the project, a man called Fath, inscribed his name on the cupola of the mihrab. In 380 H/990 AD the Ziride ruler Al-Mansour had a dome built over the bahou, the entrance leading from the court into the prayer room. The Khourassan ruler Abou Ahmed Abdul Haq inscribed his name on the central gate that looks on Souk al Attarine (474 H/1081 AD). The Hafside ruler Al-Mustancir had impos cisterns built in the eastern section of the building (648 H/1250 AD). In 716 H/1316 AD, King Abou Yahya ordered major restoration work: some of the beams were replaced, the prayer-room doors opening on the courtyard (the ones that are still standing) were made in situ, and some annexes were added. After the Spanish occupation the Imam of the mosque Taj al-Arifine al-Bikri ordered major maintenance work and built the eastern gallery leading to the gate on Souk el-Attarine (1047 H/1637 AD). In 1063 H/1652 AD Hamouda Pasha had the minaret redone and in 1309 H/1896 a completely new minaret was built. The new 43-meter structure was the work of master craftsmen Tahar Ben Saber and Sliman Ennigrou.It costed at the time 110,000 francs, financed by the Habous Administration. The first call to prayer from the new minaret was made 26 Ramadhan 1312 (1894 AD) in presence of King Ali Bey III. After independence Presidents Bourguiba and Ben Ali had major restoration work done on the mosque, especially in the 1960's and 1990's. This prestigious place of worship was also a famous and venerated place of culture and science. For centuries generations of intellectuals were trained there, including leading figures who initiated an Arab-Islamic renaissance. After independence the classes that were held there were transferred to the Faculty of Theology and in 1988 to the new buildings of Azzitouna University.