Al-Zaytuna Mosque

Al-Zaytuna Mosque
جامع الزيتونة
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Branch/tradition	Sunni
Location
Location	Tunis, Tunisia
Shown within Tunisia
Geographic coordinates	36°47′50″N 10°10′16″E / 36.7972°N 10.1711°E / 36.7972; 10.1711
Architecture
Architect(s)	Fathallah (Fath al-Banna')
Type	Mosque
Style	Moorish (Aghlabid and other periods)
Date established	698 CE
Completed	864 CE (with later additions)
Specifications
Minaret(s)	1
Minaret height	43 meters (141 ft 1 in)

Al-Zaytuna Mosque, also known as Ez-Zitouna Mosque, and El-Zituna Mosque (Arabic: جامع الزيتونة, literally meaning the Mosque of Olive), is a major mosque at the center of the Medina of Tunis in Tunis, Tunisia. The mosque is the oldest in the city and covers an area of 5,000 square metres (1.2 acres) with nine entrances.^[1] It was founded at the end of the 7th century or in the early 8th century, but its current architectural form dates from a reconstruction in the 9th century, including many antique columns reused from Carthage, and from later additions and restorations over the centuries.^[2][3]

The mosque developed into a place of higher education, today the University of Ez-Zitouna, which became the most important educational institution in Tunisia from around the 13th century onward.^[2] Ibn 'Arafa, a major Maliki scholar, al-Maziri, the great traditionalist and jurist, and Aboul-Qacem Echebbi, a famous Tunisian poet, all taught there, among others.^[1][4][5]