engineering

Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque

Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque rather than just read about it. In short: The Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque (Arabic: جامع لالة الزهر, romanized: Jama’ Lalla ez-Zhar, lit. 'Mosque of the Lady of the (Orange Tree's) Flower'), or al-Zahr Mosque, is a mosque located in Fes el-Jdid in the historic old city of Fez, Morocco. It is also known by the name Jama’ el-Hajjar (“Mosque of Stone”), probably in reference to its stone portal entrance.

Key takeaways

Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque (Arabic: جامع لالة الزهر, romanized: Jama’ Lalla ez-Zhar, lit. 'Mosque of the Lady of the (Orange Tree's) Flower'), or al-Zahr Mosque, is a mosque located in Fes el-Jdid in the historic old city of Fez, Morocco. It is also known by the name Jama’ el-Hajjar (“Mosque of Stone”), probably in reference to its stone portal entrance. The mosque was founded or completed in 1357 CE (759 AH) by the Marinid sultan Abu Inan.

Architecture

Layout The mosque consists essentially of a square floor plan to which are adjoined the minaret (at the southeast corner) and an ablutions chamber next to it. The interior is divided into three aisles or naves by two rows of three horseshoe arches. The middle of the northernmost aisle is occupied by a small square open courtyard (sahn), measuring 6.6 metres (22 ft) per side and featuring a central fountain. A well 12 metres (39 ft) deep is also included along the northern wall of the mosque to the east of the courtyard, which provided water. The main entrance of the mosque leads into this courtyard. The southernmost aisle includes the mihrab (niche symbolizing the direction of prayer), located in the middle of the mosque's back wall. The ablutions chamber, adjoined to the east side of the mosque, is reached by a passage which branches off from the vestibule of the main entrance. The chamber consists of a courtyard with rectangular water basin and flanked by smaller rooms for latrines.

Decoration

The mosque is noted for its exquisite decoration in spite of its size. Most notably, its entrance portal is made of carved stone (relatively rare for Marinid mosques) featuring geometric patterns and muqarnas. A legend claims that the stone portal was carved in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) under commission from Abu Inan and then transported to Fez. An Arabic inscription carved in the stone over the entrance praises Abu Inan and records the date of the mosque's foundation. The mosque has an ornate minaret whose facades are covered with alternating darj-wa-ktaf motifs (similar to the Grand Mosque of Fes el-Jdid) and whose main shaft is crowned by a wide bad of zellij or mosaic tilework in geometric patterns. The most notable interior decoration is around the mihrab, which has richly-carved stucco decoration.

See also Lists of mosques List of mosques in Africa List of mosques in Morocco

References

External links

Virtual exhibit on Boris Maslow (1893-1962), Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine; includes old pictures of the mosque's minaret (see last 2 pictures at the bottom)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque

In research: Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures completed in 1357, Marinid architecture, Mosques completed in the 1350s, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque in simple terms?

Why does Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lalla ez-Zhar Mosque.