Description:
History of the Hassan Mosque: The Hassan Mosque arises in the northeast part of Rabat. Situated at an altitude of 30 meters above sea level, it is separated from the sale road by a vast esplanade. The Hassan Tower is particularly striking owing to its enormous dimensions and especially by its impressive height; it is 16 meters square and rises 45 meters above the Sanctuary Ground. It is the highest of the large Almohad Minarets. Little is known of the origin of its name and it probably comes from the second half of the XIVth century. It is possibly named after a person, perhaps one of the master workmen who built it. The Hassan Mosque is usually attributed to the 3rd Almohad Caliph, Yaqoubel-Mansour, who ruled from 1184 to 1199. The Sanctuary and its Minaret probably date from the same period as the city of Rabat. We know that the order to build the latter was given by Abou Yaqoub Youssof, the father and immediate predecessor of Yaqoub El-Mansour; doubtless the same applies to the Sanctuary. In any case, the historian, Al Marrakchk, specifies that the construction of the Mosque as that of the city itself, took place during the whole reign of Yaqoub El-Mansour. The work lasted more than fifteen years; if one can believe a XVth century document, 700 Christian captives were employed on it. The works were stopped at the death of Yaqoub El-Mansour and was never started again. From then on, the history of the sanctuary is that of all uncompleted monuments, unused and abandoned. It deteriorates little by little due to the action of weather and depredations. In 1243, the Almohad Caliph Es-Said had the Hassan Mosque woodwork removed and it was used to build war whips. In the XVIIIth century, under the reign of Moulay Abdallah (1729-1757), a large ship was built for the importation of grain for the Rabatis, was built solely from the cedar wood obtained from the Sanctuary. Further, the Sanctuary wax was not spared by the struggles between the Almohads and the Merinides, who had ravaged the city of Rabat towards the middle of the XVIIIth century. On the other hand, it seems certain that the Mosque was, at an undetermined period, devastated by a large fire. The earthquake of 1 November 1755, especially known in Europe because of the destruction of Lisbon, also took effect in Rabat. At the very beginning of the XXth century, in 1902, the location of the Hassan Mosque was almost entirely covered by gardens, separated by cactus fences, but a few columns still stood there. The history of the Minaret is identified with that of the Mosque itself. It remained at the death of Yaqoub El-Mansour without having its top completed. Starting in the XIIIth century, the Minaret was left in the same state of abandonment as sthe Prayer Chamber. At the end of the XVIIIth century, Chenier reports the Spanish tradition, according to which the three large towers (of Hassan, Marrakech and Seville) were built by the same architect, a Seville Musulman. This belief was widespread until the last few years, but it is only a legend. Today, the chronology of the large Almohad Minarets of the XIIth century are known as: The Kotoubiya (of Marrakech) is the oldest, followed by the Giralda (of Seville), itself anti-dating the Hassan Tower." KC-97
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