All you need to know about the Golden Apple Mosque
Written on : 15 October 2019 By : Melchior Burin des Roziers
Once known as the Al Mansour Mosque, named after the Sultan who had it built in the 12th century, the Golden Apple Mosque can be seen from afar thanks to its 80-metre high minaret. As it is very finely decorated, it rivals the beauty of the Koutoubia Mosque. Let's learn a little more about this incredible building in the Kasbah, in the heart of the Medina.
Following a commission from the Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur, the construction of the Kasbah Mosque was completed in 1190, at the height of the Almohad Empire. It is then considered as the Friday mosque (or large mosque) for the prayers of the caliph as well as for the royal district. Throughout the centuries, it was to remain very prestigious and welcome remains of important personalities from the Marinid era onwards. The place even became the seat of the royal necropolis of the Saadi.
But in 1569, almost everything had to be rebuilt because of the considerable damage caused by the explosion of a gunpowder store. It seems that Sultan Saadi Moulay Abd Allah al-Ghalib has remained fairly faithful to the original Almohad layout, although the interior decoration now adapts to the Saadian style. The Mosque offered itself a new life, in any case, despite the presence of long cracks in the minaret that would remain visible until the 20th century. In the meantime, the mosque will undergo a final series of major restorations on the initiative of the Alawid Sultan Sidi Muhammad Ibn Abd Allah (who ruled from 1757 to 1790). In this context, some new elements appeared, including a wooden dome at the central entrance of the prayer hall.
For several centuries, the inhabitants of the district have named the building "Mosque aux Pommes d'Or", since 4 gilded copper balls decorate the minaret lantern. Legend has it that they come from the gold jewellery of Sultan al-Mansur's wife, which was melted down for the occasion. In passing, some storytellers from Jemaâ El-Fna Square will tell you how, in the 18th century, French and English prisoners who had managed to escape from their gaol tried to leave with the famous golden apples. Of course, they were stopped in time and their heads were cut off and then exposed on Bab Agnaou's leaves.
Today, the mosque is still used for prayer. However, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the mosques (as in other mosques in Morocco). You will have to be content by enjoying only the exterior of the building.
A splendid architectural masterpiece
We spare you the description of the inside of the mosque (with a prayer room and 11 naves) since it is very unlikely that you will see it. However, you can see the 8.8-metre wide minaret, decorated with diamond-shaped interlacing, which has long been the prototype of Hispano-Moorish inspired minarets. You can admire a pretty turquoise faience frieze surrounded by white stripes. Between the geometric mosaic tiles and the merlons, an empty horizontal strip is currently visible. It was once covered with an Arabic inscription in cuerda seca tiles with dark letters (perhaps purple) on a white background. This kufic script presented the first Sura of the Qur'an, Al-Fatiha. But unfortunately, it did not survive, although fragments were found.
The decoration on the four sides of the minaret seems identical, but there are subtle differences between the north and south façades on the one hand and the east and west façades on the other. The details of the shapes of the sebka motif and the poly-lobed arches on the lower facade vary slightly.
The ochre minaret is finally topped by a 4-metre diameter lantern, also topped with green, blue and turquoise tiles. This is where the muezzin's call to prayer regularly rings out, which prompts the religious in the neighbourhood to hurry to the mosque, including shopkeepers who do not hesitate to leave their shops for the duration of the prayer.
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