KHALIL BASHA MOSQUE
TRIPOLI / LIBYA
Mosque restoration
Project and supervision of construction: IDxEA + UNA
Clients: O.D.A.C. – D.O.A.
Construction/Restoration Company: Studio Italia Costruzioni srl
The oldest body of the Koranic school, is located outside the walls of the old city of Tripoli, in the area of al Dahra Al Kabira. It was built on behalf of a notable of Albanian-Bosnian origin Khalil Basha Al Aranauti, who was Wali, one of the most important and well-known governors of Tripoli from 1702 until 1709. The idea of building the mosque was to leave his mark, as happened for many of his predecessors who built large religious buildings both in the city of Tripoli and outside its walls.
The building is characterized by a courtyard, closed on three sides and by a portico which houses the service area dedicated to ablutions and toilets. The portico leads into a small trapezoidal courtyard which acts as a filter and leads to a second portico leaning against the building which houses the prayer room. The hall has a rectangular shape given by the succession of 12 spaces geometrically defined by the sequence of six pillars on which the typical domes that distinguish the roof of the mosque are built. The six pillars are made with materials taken from Roman buildings and are surmounted by Corinthian capitals.