Great Mosque of Aleppo

Coordinates: 36°11′58″N 37°09′25″E / 36.199492°N 37.156911°E / 36.199492; 37.156911
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Great Mosque of Aleppo
جَـامِـع حَـلَـب الْـكَـبِـيْـر
Panoramic view in 2010
Religion
AffiliationIslam
StatusTemporarily closed
Location
LocationAl-Jalloum district, Aleppo, Syria
Great Mosque of Aleppo is located in Ancient City of Aleppo
Great Mosque of Aleppo
Shown within Ancient City of Aleppo
Geographic coordinates36°11′58″N 37°09′25″E / 36.199492°N 37.156911°E / 36.199492; 37.156911
Architecture
Architect(s)Hasan ibn Mufarraj al-Sarmini
TypeMosque
StylePre-Islamic,[a] North Syrian, Umayyad, Seljuk, Mamluk
Completed715, 13th century
Specifications
Dome(s)1
Minaret(s)1 (destroyed during the Syrian civil war)
Materialsstone

The Great Mosque of Aleppo (

Syrian Civil War in April 2013.[9]

History

Founding

The site of the Great Mosque was once the

Saint Helena during the Christian era of Roman rule in Syria.[6]

The mosque was built on land that formerly was used as the Cathedral cemetery.

Umayyad caliph al-Walid I in 715 and was finished by his successor Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik in 717.[12] Architectural historian K. A. C. Creswell has attributed its construction solely to the latter, quoting 13th century Aleppine historian Ibn al-Adim who wrote Sulayman's intent was "to make it equal to the work of his brother al-Walid in the Great Mosque at Damascus". Another tradition claims al-Walid founded the mosque using materials from the so-called "Church of Cyrrus".[10]

However, architectural historian

Upper Mesopotamia and Armenia. Bacharach further states that Maslamah's commissioning of a large congregational mosque in Aleppo, a major base from which to attack the Byzantines, would have "been appropriate, if not necessary".[10]

Renovation

In the second half of the 11th century, the

Seljuk governor Aq Sunqur al-Hajib. Its construction was finished in 1094 during Tutush's rule.[15] The architect of the project was Hasan ibn Mufarraj al-Sarmini.[15][16]

Armenians of Sis, according to Al-Mufaddal.[18]

The

Mamluks (1260–1516) made repairs and alterations. Carved Kufic and naskhi inscriptions decorated the entire minaret along with alternate bands of stylized ornaments in patterns and muqarnas.[12][19] Sultan Qalawun replaced the burnt out mihrab (niche indicating the qibla, or direction to Mecca) in 1285. Later, Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad (1293–1341) had the new minbar ("preacher's pulpit") constructed during his reign.[19]

The courtyard and minaret of the mosque were renovated in 2003.[12]

Syrian Civil War

Mosque in 2013, after destruction of the minaret

On 13 October 2012 the mosque was seriously damaged during clashes between the armed groups of the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian Army forces. President Bashar al-Assad issued a presidential decree to form a committee to repair the mosque by the end of 2013.[20]

The mosque was seized by rebel forces in early 2013, and, as of April 2013, was within an area of heavy fighting, with government forces stationed 200 meters (660 ft) away.[21]

On the 24th of April, 2013, the minaret of the mosque was reduced to rubble during an exchange of heavy weapons fire between government forces and rebels during the ongoing

Syrian National Coalition (SNC), condemned the minaret's destruction, calling it "an indelible disgrace" and "a crime against human civilization".[23] Syrians have begun rebuilding and restoring the site, with some meager international assistance.[24]

Architecture

Courtyard of the Great Mosque

Courtyard

The Great Mosque contains a number of architectural similarities to the Great Mosque of Damascus, including a hypostyle plan with large marbled courtyard surrounded by porticoes. The vast courtyard connects to different areas of the mosque, positioned behind the colonnaded arcade. The courtyard is well known for its alternating black and white stone floor that forms intricate geometric arrangements. Two ablutions fountains,[12] both of which are roofed. The courtyard also has an open prayer estrade and a sundial.[19]

Interior

Inner view of the Mosque

The

Arabic: قُـبَّـة, dome, but during Mamluk rule was replaced with an intricate cross-vaulted system with arches and a small dome over the arcades.[12] The mihrab is deep and round and Zechariah's supposed tomb is to its left along the southern wall.[19]

There are three other halls that abut the remaining sides of the courtyard. The eastern and northern halls each have two naves, while the western hall has one. The latter is mostly of modern construction. The east hall dates to the period of Malik Shah (1072–92) and the north hall was renovated during Mamluk sultan Barquq's reign (1382–1399), but largely maintained its original 11th century character.[19]

Minaret

The

mouldings. The masonry of the minaret varied throughout, with a mix of light and heavy usage of toothed tools, short, long, vertical and horizontal strokes, fine and rough finishes, and small and large stones.[16]

According to E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, the minaret was "quite unique in the whole of Muslim architecture".

facades carried elements of Gothic architecture. Meanwhile, anthropologist Yasser Tabbaa stated the mosque was a continuation of the ancient North Syrian churches and "an entirely localized phenomenon, centered mainly in the region between Aleppo and Edessa".[26]

Maqsurah

The Great Mosque has a small museum annexed to it containing a number of ancient manuscripts. Similar to the Great Mosque of Damascus, a maqsurah was built in the form of a square domed room raised by one step above the floor level of the prayer hall, and adorned with Kashan tiles that cover all the internal surfaces of its walls. A large arched gate supported by two robust columns and topped with capitals as well as a bronze door screen comprise the entranceways to the maqsurah. The tomb containing the remains of Prophet Zakariah, decorated with silver embroideries containing Quranic verses from the chapter of Mariyam, was located in the center of the room.[27] The museum's number of valuable objects, including a box purportedly containing a strand of the Prophet Muhammad's hair, were subject to looting during the Syrian War in the 2013 clash. However, rebels claimed they had instead salvaged ancient handwritten Koranic manuscripts and hidden them.[28]

Gallery

  • The gate
    The gate
  • The gate
    The gate
  • Islamic ornaments on facade
    Islamic ornaments on facade
  • Visitors in courtyard
    Visitors in courtyard
  • The shrine of Zechariah within the Mosque
    The shrine of
    Zechariah
    within the Mosque
  • The minaret, before destruction in April 2013
    The minaret, before destruction in April 2013
  • Ablution fountains
    Ablution fountains
  • Mihrab and minbar of the Mosque
    Mihrab and minbar of the Mosque
  • View from the citadel, before destruction of the minaret in April 2013
    View from the citadel, before destruction of the minaret in April 2013
  • Upper minaret, before 2013 destruction
    Upper minaret, before 2013 destruction
  • Great Mosque of Aleppo (December 2016)
    Great Mosque of Aleppo (December 2016)
  • Inside view of the Great Mosque of Aleppo
    Inside view of the Great Mosque of Aleppo
  • Full view of the mosque
    Full view of the mosque
  • Courtyard arcade
    Courtyard arcade
  • Location within Aleppo
    Location within Aleppo

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Hillenbrand (1994),[1] Raby (2004),[2] and the Museum with No Frontiers;[3] taking the 7th century CE as the time of the start of Islamic architecture.[4]

References

  1. ^ Robert, Hillenbrand (1994), Necipoglu, Gulru (ed.), Islamic Architecture: Form, Function, and Meaning, Columbia University Press, p. 140, At the top is the main cornice of the tower. It is made of flat niches – as opposed to concave muqarnas cells – and entirely decorated with tiny arabesques. The style of this minaret's decoration reveals the continuity of Syrian pre-Islamic and Roman architectural heritage.
  2. ISBN 9004139648
    , … they perpetuate the outer shell of pre-Islamic Syrian towers, of which the minarets of the mosques of Aleppo and Ma'arrat al-Nu'man preserve ...
  3. ^ "Discover Islamic Art". Museum with No Frontiers. 2004–2018. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  4. ISBN 978-1442263093
    .
  5. ^ "The Great Mosque of Aleppo | Muslim Heritage". www.muslimheritage.com. 24 March 2005. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  6. ^ a b c The Great Mosque (The Umayyad Mosque) Archived 2008-11-03 at the Wayback Machine Syria Gate.
  7. ^ Gospel of Luke, Luke 1:5–79
  8. ^ a b ed. Mitchell, 1978, p. 231.
  9. ^ a b "Syria clashes destroy ancient Aleppo minaret". bbc.co.uk. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  10. ^ a b c Bacharach, ed. Necipoglu, 1996, p. 34.
  11. ISBN 978-1-119-06857-0
    . Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Great Mosque of Aleppo Archived 2009-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Archnet Digital Library.
  13. ^ Tabaa, 1997, p. 17.
  14. ^ Tabaa, 1997, p. 40.
  15. ^ a b c Brend, 1991, p. 99.
  16. ^ a b Allen, Terry. (2003). "Chapter Two. The Ornamented Style in Aleppo and Damascus." In Ayyubid Architecture. Occidental. Solipsist Press.
  17. ^ Grousset, 1991, p. 362.
  18. ^ Vandekerckhove 2019, p. 48-49.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i ed. Houtsma, 1987, p. 236.
  20. ^ Karam, Zeina. "Historic Aleppo mosque damaged in fighting; repairs ordered". The Washington Times. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  21. ^ a b Minaret of historic Syrian mosque destroyed in Aleppo. Associated Press. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  22. ^ Saad, Hwaida; Gladstone, Rick (24 April 2013). "Storied Syrian Mosque's Minaret Is Destroyed". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  23. ^ a b Spencer, Richard (24 April 2013). "Syria: 11th-century minaret of Great Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo destroyed". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  24. ^ Fisk, Robert. "Syrians aren't just rebuilding an ancient mosque in Aleppo – they are rebuilding their community".
  25. ^ Houtsma, 1987, p. 235.
  26. ^ Raby, ed. Necipoglu, p. 290.
  27. ^ "The Great Mosque of Aleppo | Muslim Heritage". www.muslimheritage.com. 24 March 2005. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  28. ^ "Syria clashes destroy ancient Aleppo minaret - BBC News". BBC News. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 2016-06-30.

Bibliography

External links

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