AtlasIslamica
Legacy of Andalusia

Tórtoles Mosque

Built in 15th century, Tórtoles Mosque remains almost not altered in the later centuries and currently is attached to the remains of the old fortified tower of town castle

Zaragoza, España

Coordinates: 41.918889, -1.724444

Dating from the 15th century, it is a building of special historical significance because it constitutes one of the latest works of Muslim culture on the Peninsula.

Tórtoles housed an estimated community of 2000 Muslims at that time, which explains the existence of a mosque, built at the beginning of that century.

Inside, restored in 2015, you can see the Muslim mihrab, a colorful Mudejar ceiling with Arabic inscriptions and wall paintings corresponding to the conversion into a Christian church.

This restoration received the second prize ‘Restoration and Rehabilitation Intervention Heritage’ of the Prize García Mercadal 2016.

The mosque was converted into a church in 1526.

Inscriptions in Arabic

In 2020, after a restoration undertaken by the University of Valencia, inscriptions written in Andalusian Arabic were discovered on the coffered ceiling, which survived a fire of an undetermined date. Among them are verses from the Qur’an

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