Dictionary of islamic architecture

Beirut house, Lebanon © Kerry Abbott

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166
Libiya (Libyan Arab People’s Socialist State)
remains of the original decorative scheme of the
mosque have been recovered including stucco frames
for coloured glass windows, red and green coloured
bricks. There are traces of a subsidiary mihrab in the
arcade facing the courtyard which may possibly be
the remains of an eighth-century mosque which was
rebuilt in 952 by the Fatimid caliph al-Muciz. Several
other Fatimid establishments are known but have not
yet been investigated in detail; one of the better known
examples is Qasr al-Hammam near the ancient site of
Leptis Magna.
Few early Islamic remains survive in Tripoli
although traces of the rebuilt Umayyad fortification
walls have been excavated. These were made of stone
and mortar and vary between 6 and 7 m in thickness.
The oldest mosque in Tripoli is the al-Naqah Mosque
which was probably built by the Fatimid caliph al-
Muciz in 973 although some suggest that it may be
older. The present shape of the mosque is irregular
indicating numerous alterations throughout history
although the basic plan consists of a rectangular
courtyard and a sanctuary or prayer hall covered
with forty-two brick domes. Although many of the
other mosques in Tripoli may have medieval origins
their remains mostly date from the Ottoman period.
Few important monuments of the post Fatimid
medieval period in Libiya have survived although
many small mosques may date to the medieval
period. At the oasis site of Ujlah (Awjlah) 200 km
to the south of Ajdabiya is a small twelfth-century
mosque built of stone and brick. The mosque
consists of at least twelve bays covered with pointed
conical domes, although the most interesting
feature of the building is the recessed minbar niche
to the side of the mihrab (this feature is also found
in East Africa and Arabia and may represent an
Ibadi tradition). South of Tripoli in the area of Jabal
Nafusa is a region with a high concentration of
ancient mosques, many of which date from before
the thirteenth century. Many of these mosques are
built partially underground giving them a low
profile and an organic feel accentuated by the
absence of minarets. The area is also characterized
by fortified store houses, known as qusur (plural
of qasr), which consist of agglomerations of barrel-
vaulted units contained within a defensive wall. The
barrel-vaulted units are often stacked one on top
of the other and are reached by ladder or ropes.
During peaceful times each qasr functions as a
central storage area and in times of attack the
population of the village retreats into the qasr where
it can withstand a long siege.