The minaret
Square base, octagonal top adorned with ceramic.
El Golli Mohamed — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mahdi Chaker — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Noomen9 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Noomen9 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ryadh Gharbi — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Great Mosque is the main mosque of Testour, a small Medjerda valley town in Béja governorate, founded by Andalusian refugees in the early 17th century. Completed around 1630, it is one of Tunisia's finest Morisco monuments, and its minaret, about 22.5 m tall, looks more like an Aragonese church tower than a minaret. Its patron, Mohamed Tagharinu, was an Andalusian emigrant who settled here in 1609. The minaret's square base follows the Toledan method, brick courses framing rubble; its octagonal upper tower is richly decorated with glazed ceramic. Near the top is a clock, a rare sight on a minaret, with numerals in reverse order and hands that turn anticlockwise. Long stopped, it was restarted in 2014 thanks to a volunteer engineer, Abdel Halim Koundi, and local donations. Arcades on columns with ancient capitals ring the main courtyard, about 26 by 18 m, with a marble sundial dated 1761 at its centre. The prayer hall has nine aisles, two domes on the mihrab axis and a fluted mihrab. Red-tiled gabled roofs complete the Spanish look; the minaret bears six-pointed stars, a Seal of Solomon motif common in Tunisia. The mosque stands at the heart of the old town, whose tiled roofs and Andalusian doorways reward a stroll. Tunis is about 77 km away by road, roughly an hour's drive. It is an active mosque, so come between prayers; the minaret and clock are visible from the street. The town's Malouf festival, held since 1967, is now international, and Dougga, about 29 km south-west by road, makes a natural next stop.
Square base, octagonal top adorned with ceramic.
Numerals in reverse order, anticlockwise hands.
Marble, in the main courtyard.
Great Square, heart of the old town, Testour, Béja governorate
The reason is debated. Local tradition says the Andalusian settlers wished to turn time back to the homeland they had lost; others link it to the right-to-left direction of Arabic script.
It is a working mosque, and access depends on the caretaker, per visitor reports. Outside prayer times modestly dressed visitors may be let into the courtyard, though entry is not guaranteed and the prayer hall is generally kept for worshippers.