TUNISIA -

Before the Islamic leader Uqba bin Nafeh headed towards the Aghlabid capital (Kairouan) in the center-west of Tunisia, he stopped in the south in the governorate of Kebili and chose to stop his travels in the year 49 AH in the ancient Roman village of Telmin, or "Tres Tamalini" as the Roman Emperor Hadrianus called it. ".

The Romans settled this region, rich in palm and olive forests, and the riches of pure drinking water and grain, and established the Donatia Church there.

This church is attributed to "the Donatist religious movement that split from the Catholic doctrine, and it was a social opposition that was joined by the oppressed and those who were not assimilated by the Roman civilization, but the church returned again to the hands of the Catholics until the vanguards of the Arab Islamic conquest came," according to the book "Windows on the History of Nafzawa" by the Tunisian historian Muhammad Deif Allah.

Uqba bin Nafeh chose to enter this strategic area through the inner desert road and avoid the coastal road for fear of the Byzantine attack, as explained to Al-Jazeera Net, researcher Sami Al-Shayeb, who hails from the region.

Several civilizations succeeded in the Uqba bin Nafeh Mosque and influenced its architecture, according to researcher Sami Al-Shayeb (Al-Jazeera)

A mosque on the ruins of a church

Within the framework of his campaign to spread Islam, the first steps that Ben Nafie took was to convert the Donatia Church into a mosque named after him after the population converted to Islam.

As for Dhaif Allah, he says in his book that Ibn Nafie established the mosque in the village of Telmin, and "it seems that he did not occupy the place of the church, but rather only its vicinity.

Among the evidence he also mentioned is that "some of the materials that were used in building the church were not used in the construction of the mosque, such as the capitals of the columns, and they are currently in the courtyard."

Uqba bin Nafie Mosque Square in Telmin (Al-Jazeera)

In addition to being the first mosque built in Africa, the Uqba bin Nafie Mosque in Telmin has unique architectural characteristics, which changed with the change of civilizations that followed the region and successively built the mosque.

And the visitor to this historical landmark feels that.

Architectural changes

Ibn Nafi preserved the features of the Roman architecture of the mosque, such as the columns and crowns that still exist today, but he added the Islamic touch by establishing a mihrab to perform prayers.

The Telmin Mosque in my tribe was a scene of embracing several sects that affected its architecture and roles, as it witnessed changes with the arrival of the Rustamid state (777-909 AD), which adopted the Ibadi doctrine, adding a circular silo and austerity in the aspects of adornment and abolished most of them, and expanded the mosque by constructing a large arena for teaching It turned into a school to teach and spread this doctrine, as Al-Shayeb explains.

The pillars of the church, on whose ruins the mosque is said to have been built (Al-Jazeera)

As for the great transformation, it took place with the Muradiyah state (1631-1702 AD), which allowed its muftis to use the mosque to present new lessons that encourage people to settle in the city, prohibit looting, and urge social tranquility and obedience to the ruler.

Remains of the church's ruins in the mosque yard (Al-Jazeera)

The Muradian state also covered and polished the aspect that was an open space for presenting the lessons of the Ibadhi doctrine and furnished it with Turkish mattresses for its adoption of the Hanafi school of thought, according to the same source.

The transformations continued in the Uqba bin Nafeh Mosque in Telmin until the beginning of the 18th century AD when a new mosque was built to follow suit, called the "Sidi Boukadima" mosque, which is the shrine of a righteous saint who adopts the Sufi method, "and here the role of the Telmin Mosque will recede," according to what Al-Shayeb confirms.

The historical side of the Uqba Mosque in Telmin from the outside (Al-Jazeera)

During the French colonization of Tunisia since 1881, the Telmin Mosque went through its darkest period, as the French occupier wreaked havoc on it, demolished it, and violated his promise to rebuild and reconfigure it according to its original architectural characteristics.

Shine and shine

Al-Shayeb says that the Uqba Ibn Nafeh Mosque regained its splendor and radiance with the independence of Tunisia in 1956, and it resumed its role in providing religious lessons and joined the Zaytouni branch, and became under the management of the National Institute of Heritage (a public institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture).

A large part of this important religious lighthouse was demolished and its expensive effects were looted, and the Tunisian authorities undertook to restore it, but it violated its original characteristics in the restoration process.

Nothing remains of the first mosque built in Africa except Roman columns and capitals paved in its original red color, testifying to the era and the nobility of this edifice.

Sadiq Touati, a citizen of the region, calls for the need for the Tunisian state to intervene, represented by the Ministries of Religious Affairs and Culture (the National Agency for Heritage and the National Institute of Antiquities), in order to restore, maintain and preserve this historical landmark.

Part of the modern restoration of the Uqba bin Nafi Mosque in Telmin from the inside (Al-Jazeera)

He also demands, in his statement to Al-Jazeera Net, that it be included among the monuments and that it be given the attention it deserves, similar to the Uqba Mosque in Kairouan.

Al-Tawaty stresses that the Telmin area is steeped in history, but it is "forgotten and unfortunately fell out of development programs and plans since the independence," and that "the time has come to support and pay attention to it by preserving its numerous and diverse historical monuments."