The Kairaouine Mosque (Djemaa el Kairaouine) in Fes is the second-largest mosque in Morocco after the new Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. The Kairaouine Mosque has two minarets: the original one and the Burj an-Naffara (Trumpeter’s Tower). The original minaret is the oldest Islamic monument in Fes, dating from 956.
The Kairaouine mosque is also one of the most important mosque’s in Morocco and governs the timing of all Islamic festivals across the country. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the mosque. The Kairaouine Mosque was founded in 857 by Fatima al-Fihri, the daughter of a affluent refugee from the city of Kairouan in Tunisia. Fatima and her sister Mariam inherited a great deal of money from their father, and Fatima vowed to spend all of it on a proper mosque for the Tunisian community in Fes.
Kairaouine Mosque in FesThe current form of the mosque, however, is generally the result of a 10th-century renovation under Abd Er Rahman III, the Caliph of Cordoba, and a 12th-century renovation under the Almoravids. The best possible sight of the Kairaouine can be had from the roof of the Medersa el Attarin, which is only sometimes open to the public.
