The BA Antiquities Museum organizes a lecture titled "The Impact of the Ottomans on the Architecture of Mosques in Alexandria and Tunis" on Tuesday, 30 April 2019, at 1:00 pm in the BA Main Building, Third Floor Floating Room (F3). Delivered by Dr. Mai Elsayed Mohamed, Senior Inspector of Antiquities in Alexandria and the North Coast at the Ministry of Antiquities.
The lecture discusses the manifestations of communication between the Mediterranean civilizations in the Ottoman era through pilgrimages, trade, freedom of movement for craftsmen, successive waves of migrations, as well as the similar historical circumstances as both Egypt and Tunisia were ruled by the Ottoman Empire. All of the above resulted in the resemblances between the architectural and decorative features of mosques in Alexandria and Tunis. The similarities were mainly palpable in the architectural planning, coatings, façades, minarets, tackles, knots and ceramic paneling. Even though the Ottoman artistic influences are evident in the architecture of the mosques, the role of the local architectural influences and artistic styles in both countries cannot be denied.