The mosque was commissioned by Abu Zakariya Yahya (r. 1230–1249), in 1230 or 1231, shortly after he declared his independence from the Almohads in 1229.

[4] Shortly before the mosque's foundation, Abu Zakariya had begun construction of new palace for himself in the Kasbah.

This decorative technique was common in more western regions of North Africa but the muqarnas dome of this mosque is almost unique in Ifriqiya (Tunisia) and was unparalleled in other Hafsid architecture.

In particular, it resembles the design of the minaret of the Kasbah Mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco, in both its overall form and in the decoration of its facades.

[2] The upper part of the minaret is decorated with triple horseshoe-arch-shaped windows surrounded by a zone covered with tiles.