Al-Zaytuna Mosque , also known as Ez-Zitouna Mosque , and El-Zituna Mosque ( Arabic : جامع الزيتونة, literally meaning the Mosque of Olive ), is a major mosque at the center of the Medina of Tunis in Tunis , Tunisia . The mosque is the oldest in the city and covers an area of 5,000 square metres (1.2 acres) with nine entrances. [1] It was founded at the end of the 7th century or in the early 8th century, but its current architectural form dates from a reconstruction in the 9th century, including many antique columns reused from Carthage, and from later additions and restorations over the centuries. [2] [3]

The mosque developed into a place of higher education, today the University of Ez-Zitouna , which became the most important educational institution in Tunisia from around the 13th century onward. [2]   Ibn 'Arafa , a major Maliki scholar, al-Maziri , the great traditionalist and jurist , and Aboul-Qacem Echebbi , a famous Tunisian poet, all taught there, among others. [1] [4] [5]