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Lot 23

Omer Coppens
(Belgian, 1864-1926)
The Great Mosque of Kairouan 56 x 46 cm. (22 x 18 in.)

14 June 2007, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £6,000 inc. premium

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Omer Coppens (Belgian, 1864-1926)

The Great Mosque of Kairouan
signed, dated and inscribed 'Omer Coppens/1926 Kairouan' (lower left) and inscribed on the reverse 'Omer Coppens/Cloître Mosquée du Barbier/Kairouan 1926'
oil on board
56 x 46 cm. (22 x 18 in.)

Footnotes

Every city in Tunisia has a "Great Mosque," but the Great Mosque of Kairouan is the most important of all. It is the oldest Muslim place of prayer in North Africa and is commonly regarded as the fourth holiest site in Islam (after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem).
Nothing remains of the original 670 AD mosque, built shortly after the arrival of Muslim Arabs to North Africa. It was built by the founder of Kairouan, Sidi Okba (the mosque is thus also known as the Sidi Okba Mosque).
The current Great Mosque of Kairouan dates from 863 AD. For centuries, it has served as a pilgrimage destination for North Africans for whom the trip to Mecca was an impossibility. According to popular belief, seven trips to Kairouan was worth one hajj to Mecca.

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