The most beautiful religious buildings Tunis

The vibrant heart of the medina, the Grande Mosquée, accessible from rue Jamâa-ez-Zitouna and also known as the Mosquée de l'Olivier (ez-Zitouna), has an antique feel, with its arcades and columns with slightly Moorish capitals. The largest mosque in Tunis was first built in 698, when the city was founded, by the Umayyad governor Obeid Allah ibn Al-Habhab, then completely rebuilt from 856 to 863 by the Aghlabid emir Abu Ibrahim and regularly remodeled thereafter. It stands on the remains of a Christian basilica. A lively place, it continues to provide religious instruction and gather the faithful for the five daily prayers. Its architecture is similar to that of the Kairouan mosque. The hypostyle hall, the 15-nave prayer room, boasts no fewer than 184 antique columns and capitals, probably taken from the ruins of Carthage. The monument has undergone many transformations over the years. The Turks contributed by adding a gallery on three sides of the courtyard (in 1653) and raising a new minaret, which was replaced in 1834 by a 44 m tower inspired by the Hispano-Moorish minaret of the Kasbah mosque. For centuries, this mosque housed the prestigious university that bears its name. Its roof and prayer room have been extensively restored since independence. Next door, the beautiful porch of the National Library.

The tophet of Salammbô, also called tophet of Carthage, is the oldest Punic place in Carthage. In this sanctuary were buried, for seven centuries, small urns containing the ashes of the first-born of the noble families of the city, immolated in sacrifice. With this act, the Carthaginians hoped to see their wishes fulfilled or thanked the divinities for those already realized. Fans of the comic books on the adventures of Alix relive here The Spectre of Carthage. We regret the lack of information and the lack of maintenance of this site.

The (very beautiful and well-preserved) Catholic Saint-Vincent-de-Paul cathedral, in Romanesque-Byzantine style, is close to the Place de l'Indépendance. It is named after the founder of the Lazarists and the Daughters of Charity who was sold as a slave in Tunis at the beginning of the 17th century while still a young priest. Built in several phases between 1893 and 1897, it was renovated in the late 1990s. The building hosted a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1998.

This mosque, also known as the El Jenaïz Mosque or Funeral Mosque, was built by the man of faith and science Abu Mohammed Abd'Ullah el Maghrébi and a Hafsid princess. It was enlarged twice. Its Andalusian-style minaret, beautifully decorated with arabesques, was restored towards the end of the 19th century by the architect Ahmed Chérif. It strongly resembles that of the El Kasbah Mosque. The mihrab, which is very special, is covered with a black and white marble frame that gives it a lot of lustre.

This mosque, also known as the Dyers' Mosque, is due to Hussein Bey, the founder of the Husseinite dynasty. It was inaugurated in 1727 after four years of construction. The octagonal minaret, in Algerian style, bears a strong resemblance to that of the Hammouda Pasha Mosque. The prayer room contains numerous sculptures in marble, wood and plaster. The mihrab is decorated with plaster carvings. There is also a small mausoleum, supposedly built to house the remains of Hussein Bey.

Located at the corner of the street of the Kasbah, it was built in 1655 by the bey Hammouda Pacha al-Mouradi. It is, after the mosque of Youssef Dey, the second Hanafite mosque of Tunis. Its minaret is octagonal with, at its head, a balcony topped by a pyramid. The mosque has three courses. The one on the right, with capitals where the Italian influence can be read, shelters the tomb of Hammouda, an astonishing masterpiece of 17th century art. Just next door, the Ech Chammaia medersa houses a crafts center and an old library.

Located near El Marr Street and Bab Jedid Street, it dates back to 1375. The minaret is wide and of Hafsid style. It was probably added during the renovations of the 13th century, but its lantern remains reduced. The courtyard is narrow and extends on both sides of the prayer hall. There is also an outside mihrab to take full advantage of the prayer on sunny days. The dome of this mihrab is classified as a curiosity thanks to its octagonal shape, a trend that certainly came from Algeria at the time.

This mosque was built at the request of Mohammed Bey al-Mouradi, towards the end of the 17th century, on the Ottoman model. It is not without analogies with the al-Ahmediye mosque of Istanbul. The only mosque with domes in Tunisia, it is regularly considered to be the most beautiful in the capital. Its walls are covered with earthenware and ceramics; its minaret, square, is topped by a small lantern. Opposite the mosque stands the zaouïa of Sidi Mahrez, patron saint of the city and very venerated saint of Tunisians.

Located near Dar El Bey, the present Government Palace in the Kasbah and dating from 1612, it is the first Hanafite mosque in Tunis. Its minaret is based on a square topped by an octagonal tower, the first built in this way in the capital. Its lantern is surmounted by a pyramid. The minbar is beautifully covered with marble panels. The mausoleum of the founder of the mosque is square, houses the tomb of Youssef Dey, and is rightly considered a masterpiece. Its roof is made entirely of tiles.

Close to Bab Menara, northwest of the medina. Located on the site of the oldest cemetery in Tunis, this mausoleum bears the name, barely deformed, of the family that ruled the city in the 12th century (Beni Khorassen). One will be interested in particular in the very old inscriptions affixed to the stones. The primitive building was erected in the 11th century and houses the tombs of this famous dynasty. It has been restored and renovated over the centuries.

Built in the Halfaouine district in 1814 by Youssef Saheb At Tabâa, the minister of the Husseinite bey Hammouda Pacha, it is one of the most beautiful mosques in Tunis. It is also marked by Italian influences. The foundations were built using stone from Carthage. The minaret is octagonal in shape. Its crowning glory was left unfinished on the death of Saheb At Tabâa, and completed in 1970. The mosque contains 2 small necropolises. One houses the tomb of its founder, the other those of the master builder and historian Ibn Abi Dhiaf.