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Mansoura Ruins at Tlemcen, Algeria

Tlemcen, Algeria

Outside the town of Tlemcen are rather remarkable ruins of the walls and towers of a second city, built there by the Sultan of Morocco, who once laid siege to the Sultan in Tlemcen. When this siege stretched over many years, the Sultan of Morocco built a separate city for his army just outside the city of Tlemcen, the ramparts and the Tour du Juif still exist.

Description

History of Mansoura: During a seven-year-long siege in 1299 Marinid Sultan Abou Yakoub stationed his army near the city of Tlemcen. Mansoura was constructed by Yakoub during the siege in between the bouts of fighting. It rivaled Tlemcen for many years and grew to encompass an area of about 300 acres1. Yakoub was assassinated shortly before the surrender of Tlemcen and after his death, Mansoura began to decline. Eventually, the city was absorbed and became part of Tlemcen.


Ruins: The large walls of Mansoura can still be seen today. In some places, the walls have succumbed to ruin through years of cracking and erosion. In other places, the walls still stand tall and solid. Another part of the city still intact today is a 130-foot-high minaret constructed by a Jewish architect. The tower was previously built as part of a mosque but over time the mosque fell to ruin. The tower, however, is described as being decorated with porcelain green tiles and a work of great craftsmanship. The actual city itself no longer exists and instead has been repurposed as a vineyard and vines can be seen growing along the tower and city walls.

Tlemcen, Algeria

© Mapbox, © OpenStreetMap

Sources

Notes 


1 Carpenter


Works Cited 


1. Ayer, Edward E. A Motor Flight through Algeria and Tunisia. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & co., 1911. 


2. Biebel, Franklin M. “The Mosaics of Hammam Lif.” The Art Bulletin 18, no. 4 (1936): 540–51. https://doi.org/10.2307/3045653. 


3. Saadoun, Haim. ‘Tunisia’. In Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, edited by Norman A. Stillman, Phillip I. Ackerman-Lieberman, Yaron Ayalon, Avigdor Levy, Vera B. Moreen, Meira Polliack, Angel Saenz-Badillos and, and Daniel Schroeter. Accessed July 27, 2022. https://referenceworks.brillonline.com:443/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world%252Ftunisia-COM_0021690.


4. “The Jewish Community of Hammam-Lif.” ANU Museum of the Jewish People. Accessed July 27, 2022. https://dbs.anumuseum.org.il/skn/en/c6/e182775/Place/Hammam_Lif.