EL HAWA MOSQUE

El Hawa Mosque (also called Ettaoufik Mosque) is built on the western heights of Tunis, in the suburb of Bab El Jazira. Built in 1252 by Princess Atf, it combines the pure Ifriqyian style with Hafsid decorative elements reminiscent of the Great Mosque. Its prayer room is covered with groin vaults and rests on massive supports. The mihrab is topped by a large ribbed dome. The minbar, a finely worked wooden pulpit, is one of the oldest in Tunis (it dates from 1495).