During Ramadan, the Great Mosque of Taza, one of the most imposing in North Africa, welcomes the faithful in an atmosphere of fervour and piety, particularly for the Al-Isha prayer and the religious vigils (Tarawih) of this month of fasting and devotion.
Men, women, and children respond five times a day to the call of the muezzin of this mosque, built in the 12th century during the Almohad dynasty, which has since enjoyed a very special regard among the inhabitants of the city of Taza.
As soon as one crosses one of the nine doors of this mosque, the gaze is drawn to its large chandelier, an exceptional work of Muslim bronzework installed upon the completion of the mosque's construction in 694 AH. Weighing 3.2 tonnes, this chandelier has 514 chalices or cups that were intended to hold oil.
This chandelier is also astonishing for its dimensions: it measures nearly four metres in height by two and a half metres in width. No other ornate chandelier of this size has been reported in the Orient. The great chandelier of the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque in Fez is the only one that can be compared to it. The presence of this immense chandelier was taken into account in the architecture and decoration of the mosque, which illustrate the dexterity and genius of the Moroccan artisan, as well as the diversity and richness of Moroccan architectural heritage.
The people of Taza are proud of this religious monument, which testifies to the originality of a specific architecture that combines the sobriety of Moorish constructions with the grace of Andalusian art. It is also a mosque that has always been a place of preaching and meditation and has always played a primary role in the propagation of knowledge and science.
The current building consists of a complete Almohad mosque, a prayer hall, an oratory, and a restored minaret. At the head of the mosque, there is a whole series of annexes, including the famous library, which contains a large number of books and rare manuscripts in all fields of science and thought, particularly those of the famous Cadi Ayad and Mehdi Ibn Tumart. The richness of this library's documentary collection has led several scholars and men of science to settle temporarily in Taza, such as Lisan al-Din Ibn al-Khatib, Abd al-Rahman Ibn Khaldun, and Mokhtar Soussi. Others have taken up permanent residence there, such as Ibn Bah, Moulay Tayeb Alaoui, and Idriss Ibn Lachheb. Many European researchers have followed the example of these Moroccan historians and thinkers and spent several months in Taza in search of knowledge and learning in this library.
According to the late Abdelhadi Tazi, the library of the Great Mosque of Taza is one of the oldest manuscript libraries in Morocco, with a treasure trove of documents, manuscripts, and correspondence from the Almohads.
Considered a jewel of Moroccan architecture, the Great Mosque of Taza, which played a leading role in the teaching of the Quran and religious sciences, is an integral part of the civilisational heritage of the inhabitants of Taza and all Moroccans.
