Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque, Religious institution in the Medina of Fez, Morocco.
Al-Qarawiyyin is a mosque with an attached educational institution in the old town of Fez, Morocco. The courtyard with its green-tiled roofs and white columns borders several halls of naves whose arches run in different directions.
Fatima Al-Fihri founded the building in 857 through a donation from her estate. The Almoravid dynasty expanded the prayer areas in the 11th century and added new gates that connected the complex with the surrounding lanes.
The 13th-century sundial in the minaret's north wall still divides prayer times across the old town. Residents of Fez continue to orient themselves by the light effects that fall through the minaret's openings and mark different moments of the day.
Visitors without Muslim faith can look into the courtyard from outside through open entrances, especially in the morning when fewer people are around. Women should cover head and shoulders when approaching the entrances, and all guests wear closed shoes in the narrow lanes around the building.
The mihrab contains woodcarvings from the 10th century that were crafted from a single tree. Restoration work in the 20th century revealed gilded leaf motifs beneath later layers that remain visible today.
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