Tangier Grand Mosque
Encyclopedia
Tangier Grand Mosque is a large mosque
in the Grand Socco
area of central Tangier
, Morocco
. It was built on the site of a former Portuguese cathedral which in turn stood on a Roman temple dedicated to Hercules
. The mosque dates back to the Moulay Ismail period and was expanded in 1815 by Moulay Sliman. Mohammed V visited the mosque on April 11, 1947, going on to make a historic speech at Mendoubia Gardens. Opposite the mosque is a primary school, established by nationalists during the French protectorate.
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in the Grand Socco
Grand Socco
Grand Socco is a square in the medina area of central Tangier, Morocco and the larger of the Petit Socco which make up the medina of the city. The Grand Socco divides the medina from the Ville Nouvelle area of Tangier...
area of central Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. It was built on the site of a former Portuguese cathedral which in turn stood on a Roman temple dedicated to Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
. The mosque dates back to the Moulay Ismail period and was expanded in 1815 by Moulay Sliman. Mohammed V visited the mosque on April 11, 1947, going on to make a historic speech at Mendoubia Gardens. Opposite the mosque is a primary school, established by nationalists during the French protectorate.