While artifacts are rising all over Morocco, which is the main base of cultural interaction of the Andalusian Umayyad State, which has an important place in Islamic history, the Andalusian Mosque, which is one of the symbols of the city of Fes, continues to be one of the two centers of knowledge, wisdom and worship in the city for more than a thousand years.
The Andalusian Mosque, built by Mariam, the sister of Fatima al-Fihri, the founder of Qarawiyyin University, whose reputation has spread to the world as the oldest university that has given uninterrupted education for more than a thousand years, is one of the symbolic structures of Fes, one of the old capitals of Morocco.
With the month of Ramadan, Andalusia Mosque adds magnificence to the nobility of Qayrawan, the beauty of Andalusia and the spirit of Morocco, with its guests from all over the region and the world, both for worship and visit.
The stories of the two sisters Fatima and Mariam el-Fihri, whose names are written in golden letters in Islamic history, begin with the migration of their father, Mohammed Bin Abdullah al-Fihri, who was a jurist, from the city of Qayrawan in Tunisia to the city of Fes in Morocco.
Fes, which has turned into a cultural mosaic with the neighborhoods of Andalusia, where those coming from Andalusia live, and Qayrawan, where those who come from Qayrawan live, make its name known to the whole world with the signatures of Fatima and Mariam.
Fatima and Mariam chose to spend the wealth left by their father, the fiqh scholar Mohammad al-Fihri, on the path of knowledge and wisdom in accordance with their father's mission, and ensured that this legacy could reach the ages.
The two sisters had the Qarawiyyin Mosque built in the Qayrawan neighborhood of Fes and the Andalusian Mosque in the Andalusia neighborhood in 859-860.
The Qarawiyyin Mosque, which was built as a larger mosque after the Şurefa Mosque in the Kayrevan neighborhood was not enough for the community, turned into a university as the region became a science center over time, while the Andalusian Mosque continued to preserve its feature of being a mosque.
BUILT IN THE PERIOD OF THE IDRISIS
The Andalusian Mosque, which was built during the Idrisid period, one of the first founding states of Morocco, continues to survive despite all the climatic and political fluctuations experienced over the past centuries.
The Andalusian Mosque, which stands upright like the heart of the ancient city with its symmetry, harmony and harmonious architecture of the streets and streets of Fes, is considered a masterpiece.
The Andalusian Mosque, which was named so because a group of Andalusians lived around it and contributed to the construction costs, was designed in the same style as the Qarawiyyin Mosque, one of the most famous mosques in Morocco and later turned into a university, and was built with the system common in Fes mosques at that time.
The mosque impresses with its inscriptions, drawings adorning the ceiling of the prayer hall, and stained glass. It is also worth seeing with its copper chandelier and perforations hanging from the ceiling.
THE IMAM IN LOVE WITH THE MOSQUE
Ahmad al-Ghazali, the imam-orator of this precious building that reflects the magnificence of Islamic art, told Anadolu Agency (AA) "I have been the imam and orator of the Andalusian Mosque since 2006. I am so attached to the mosque that I feel it as a part of myself and myself as a part of it.” said.
Stating that he looks forward to every Friday to go up to his pulpit and makes a great effort not to hold back from the sermon under any circumstances, Ghazali said, "Everyone who visits the Andalusian Mosque finds peace in it spiritually and feels secure while sitting within its walls." used the phrases.
Pointing out that Andalusia remained more modest despite the fame of the Qarawiyyin Mosque or university, Ghazali said, "While the Qarawiyyin Mosque, which later turned into a university, was superior in education, the Andalusian Mosque remained true to its mosque character, with the Qur'an recitation and prayer, even though it was filled with circles of knowledge in the past. It has preserved its mature structure.” he said.
Ghazali stated that Andalusia turned into a place of i'tikaf and reflection for the students of knowledge in Karaviyyin, and noted that many scholars, such as the famous writer Yousef Bin Mohammad et-Tawzari, known as Ibn Nahvi, also passed through the circles of knowledge in the Andalusia Mosque.
Stating that Muslims came to Fes from the east and from Andalusia at that time, Ghazali said, “When the Muslims heard that there was a righteous and just caliph (el-Mawla II. . Here is Mohammed al-Fihri, the father of Fatima and Mariam, who came and settled here.” said.
Ghazali stated that the Andalusian Mosque was also built by Mariam al-Fihri and according to the rumors, she actively took part in the construction process, and that many expansion works were carried out in the mosque in question during the Idrisid, Almohadun and Merini period. He said it had been restored several times.
MONEY AND SCIENCE MEETING
The sisters Fatima and Mariam el-Fihri are rare examples of the meeting of money and science, from Kayrevan to Fes, with a unique idea and the emergence of immortal works of science and art.
Qarawiyyin University and Andalusia Mosque have hosted many historians, thinkers, philosophers, doctors, experts, researchers, scholars and lawyers throughout history.
Even though the education system and method of Qarawiyyin University, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the oldest university in the world, have changed from time to time for more than a thousand years, it continues uninterruptedly.
The Andalusian Mosque, as the brother of Qarawiyyin, is a temple that is a witness to the Islamic civilization, architectural art and splendor in the city of Fes, and it is full of Muslims, especially during Ramadan.