Tinmal Mosque
The Tinmal Mosque or Great Mosque of Tinmal (also spelled Tinmel or Tin Mal; ; ) is a 12th-century mosque located in the village of Tinmel in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Although no longer operating as a mosque today, its remains are preserved as a historic site. It was built at the site where Ibn Tumart, the founder of the Almohad movement, was buried and it is considered an important example of Almohad architecture. The mosque was added to the Tentative List of potential UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1995. It suffered significant damage during the 2023 Marrakesh–Safi earthquake. History Tinmel is located along the important High Atlas mountain pass known as Tizi-n-Test between Marrakesh to the north and the Sous region to the south. It was the first capital of the Almohad movement founded by Ibn Tumart. He established his followers here in 1124 or 1125 CE and it became the base from which they launched attacks on the Almoravids who ruled the region at the time. A first mosque was built here around this time or shortly after. When Ibn Tumart died in 1130 he was buried here and a religious sanctuary and pilgrimage site subsequently developed at the site of his tomb. Abd al-Mu'min, who took over leadership of the Almohads after him, decided to build a new mosque nearby or on the same site in 1148, as confirmed by historical documents of the time – although the foundation date of 1153-1154 CE (548 AH) given by the Rawd al-Qirtas is still cited by many. The new mosque most likely replaced the existing mosque of Tinmel that was present here. Construction of the mosque thus began very soon after the conquest of Marrakesh (1147) and the beginning of construction on the Kutubiyya Mosque there. The Tinmal Mosque's architecture demonstrates many similarities with the Kutubiyya and was likely designed and built by craftsmen from Marrakesh. The mosque was smaller in scale than other major Almohad mosques as it was designed for a small town, but it was nonetheless a pilgrimage site and subsequent Almohad rulers were buried near here as well. Later, as the Marinids wrested control of Morocco from them, the Almohads of Marrakesh made a final stand in Tinmel until their last leaders were defeated and captured here in 1275. The mosque eventually fell into ruin and was partly restored in the mid-20th century. The latest restoration works were undertaken in the 1990s. The mosque is no longer operating but is open to visitors as a historic site, also making it one of the few mosque buildings in Morocco that is open to non-Muslims. The site has been on UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage Sites since 1995. As of January 2023, work was underway on a new restoration of the mosque overseen by the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs, projected to last 18 months. The plan also called for the eventual construction of a museum next to the mosque. 2023 earthquake The