Great Mosque of Salé

The Great Mosque of Salé (Arabic: المسجد الأعظم‎, Masjid Al Aadam) is a mosque in Salé, Morocco. Covering an area of 5,070 m2 (54,600 sq ft), it is the third-largest mosque in Morocco, and was originally built between 1028 and 1029. It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times since the original construction. It was built in Almoravid and Almohad architectural styles, and the mosque features nine arches. It was severely damaged in the Bombardment of Salé of 1851, and was briefly closed during the French protectorate in Morocco.

History

The Great Mosque of Salé was built under the orders of Temim Ibn Ziri from 1028 to 1029, and was restored and enlarged in 1196 under Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur's orders, making it the third-largest mosque in Morocco, after the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca (largest) and the mosque of the University of al-Qarawiyyin. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times since that date.

According to historian Abd Al-Mun'im Al-Hasidi, 700 French slaves were involved in the reconstruction under al-Mansur's orders, and the reconstruction added a madrasa. In 1260, Salé was occupied by Castilian forces and 3,000 women, children and elderly residents of the city were gathered in the mosque and taken as slaves for Seville. In 1851, Salé was bombarded by French forces, and the mosque was severely damaged after being struck by six cannonballs.

During the French protectorate in Morocco, the mosque was used for nationalist gatherings in the 1930s, led by people such as Said Hajji, Ahmed Maâninou, Boubker el-Kadiri, and Abu Bakr Zniber. The French protectorate later[when?] closed the mosque to prevent it being used as a place to awaken awareness of nationalist sentiment, but it later[when?] re-opened.