Great Mosque of Tlemcen

One of the finest surviving examples of Almoravid architecture in the Maghreb, this twelfth-century mosque dominates the old core of Tlemcen. Its prayer hall is celebrated for a delicately carved plaster dome above the mihrab, pierced with openwork that filters daylight into intricate patterns. Rows of horseshoe arches stretch back through the shaded interior, and a later minaret rises over the courtyard. The building recalls the medieval dynasty that ruled from this inland city and remains central to Tlemcen's identity.