mosque in Tunis and the seat of an important Muslim university. Dating to the 8th century, the mosque was rebuilt in the 9th century during Aghlabid (Aghlabid dynasty) rule. It subsequently became one of the most important mosques in Tunisia and was the source of the intellectual elite in the early 20th century, in particular the elements of the Destour party that rejected modernism and the French protectorate (1881–1955). Some prominent members of the contemporary Islamist movement, such as the leader of the Nahda Party (Ḥizb al-Nahḍah), Rachid Ghannouchi, also graduated from the university.