Lalla Chahba Mosque
Lalla Chahba Mosque (Arabic: مسجد لالة الشهباء), is a historic mosque in the medina of Salé, Morocco. Some consider it to be the second oldest mosque in the city after the Great Mosque, claiming that it was founded in 1075 CE (465 AH) during the reign of the Almoravid sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin. Some consider it to be the oldest mosque in the city, meaning it predates the Great Mosque.[1][2][better source needed]
The mosque deteriorated in the centuries following its construction and was buried under soil and debris. Its remains were uncovered and restored in the early 20th century. A new mosque was built over it in the 1960s.[3][2]
Origin of the name
There are two different narratives about the mosque's name. The first suggests that a fair-skinned (blonde) woman, known as Chahbaa, used to teach women the essentials of religion at the mosque.[citation needed] The second narrative states that the mosque was named "Chahbaa" because its columns, which support its arches and vaults, were grayish in color, made of solid stone resembling yellow marble. Some of these stone columns are still present in the mosque today.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b الحق, دعوة. "دعوة الحق - نبذة تاريخية عن المسجد الأعظم بمدينة سلا". www.habous.gov.ma (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
- ^ a b "Mosquée Lalla Chahba". Inventaire et Documentation du Patrimoine Culturel du Maroc (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
- ^ "المدينة العتيقة – مدينة سلا". www.villedesale.ma. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
