Sunday, June 29, 2014
Darijateacher
Hassan Tower or Tour Hassan (Arabic:
صومعة حسان) is the minaret
of an incomplete mosque
in Rabat, Morocco.
Begun in 1195, the tower was intended to be the largest minaret in the world
along with the mosque, also intended to be the world's largest. In 1199, Sultan
Yacoub al-Mansour died and construction on the
mosque stopped.
The tower reached 44 m (140 ft),
about half of its intended 86 m (260 ft) height. The rest of the
mosque was also left incomplete, with only the beginnings of several walls and
200 columns being constructed. The tower, made of red sandstone,
along with the remains of the mosque and the modern Mausoleum of Mohammed V, forms an important
historical and tourist complex in Rabat.
Instead of stairs, the tower
is ascended by ramps. The minaret's ramps would have allowed the muezzin
to ride a horse to the top of the tower to issue the call to prayer.
Posted in: Morocco Attractions
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