Masjid Omar Bin Abdul Aziz Mosque Mr Bn Bd Alzyz

Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, may God be pleased with him, the eighth Umayyad caliph whose brief reign in the early second century of the hijra is remembered across the Muslim world as a rare example of scrupulous justice, fiscal reform and humility, lends his name to this Tangier mosque along Morocco's northern Mediterranean coast. Tangier itself is an ancient port whose harbour has welcomed Phoenician traders, Roman legionaries, Umayyad commanders, Almohad reformers and Portuguese occupiers across the centuries, before becoming during the twentieth century an international zone administered jointly by several European powers. The city's Islamic memory is especially rich, since it was from Tangier and the neighbouring Berber districts that the great traveller Ibn Battuta, may God have mercy upon him, set out in the early fourteenth century on his celebrated rihla that carried him across the known world. Architecturally the mosque draws on the distinctive Andalusi and Marrakshi tradition common to northern Morocco, combining a whitewashed exterior with a square minaret in the Maghrebi style clad in green glazed tile, a forecourt paved in zellige mosaic and deep horseshoe arches leading into the prayer hall. Inside, slender columns support banded arches over parallel rows aligned with the qibla, the mihrab is framed by carved cedar and plasterwork in geometric arabesque, the mimbar is constructed of inlaid walnut and the wooden ceiling is painted in pale indigo and ochre following the tradition of Fes. Daily prayers gather worshippers from the surrounding medina lanes, the Jumu'ah sermon is delivered in classical Arabic with short passages of darija Moroccan colloquial and Ramadan evenings bring iftar of harira, msemmen, chebakia and mint tea. Eid mornings fill the forecourt with families in fresh djellaba and kaftan, and children clutch new leather babouches as they walk home through the alleys. Visitors should dress modestly, leave shoes on the timber racks and respect the quiet of recitation. Nearby stand the Kasbah overlooking the strait of Gibraltar, the American Legation museum honouring Morocco's early recognition of the United States and the grand Socco square where the old caravan routes still meet beneath the Moroccan sun.