Draft:Umayyad Mosque of Mosul

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Umayyad Mosque of Mosul
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
Statusdemolished
(new mosque built on the site)
Location
LocationMosul, Iraq
Architecture
TypeMosque
StyleIslamic
Date establishedcirca 641 CE
Demolished1810
(al-Masfi Mosque built on same site)

The Umayyad Mosque (Arabic: الجامع الأموي), also known as al-Atiq Mosque (Arabic: الجامع العتيق),[1] was a large historic mosque in Mosul, Iraq, originally established in the 7th century. The mosque was demolished in 1810, after which the present-day al-Masfi Mosque (Arabic: جامع المُصَفِّي, romanized: al-Muṣaffī Mosque) was built on part of the site. The latter is also still known as the "Umayyad Mosque".[2][3]

History

[edit]

Mosul was founded by early Arab Muslim conquerors circa 637[4] or 640–1 CE.[5] According to medieval Arabic sources, Arfajah al-Bariki, who was placed in charge of the conquering Muslim force by Caliph Umar,[6] established the town as a miṣr (military encampment) and built a congregational mosque within it.[6][7]: 289  The town was further developped under the Umayyad caliph Marwan II (r. 744–750), to whom some sources also attributed the mosque's foundation.[6]

The mosque was restored and enlarged multiple times until it occupied a large area, possibly measuring 110 metres (360 ft) from east to west.[7]: 289  One major restoration was commissioned by Sayf al-Din Ghazi in 1148, at which time several madrasas and other religious establishments were added around it.[7]: 299  After the foundation of a new congregational mosque, the al-Nuri Mosque, later that same century, the old "Umayyad Mosque" declined in importance and became neglected, though an important cemetery developped near it.[7]: 292 

The Umayyad Mosque, in poor condition, was eventually demolished in 1810.[7]: 289  The only piece of the building that is thought to have been preserved is a decorated mihrab inside the al-Nuri Mosque which was likely transferred to that buildng around the time of demolition.[8][9][7]: 101  On the site of the former Umayyad Mosque, the smaller present-day al-Masfi Mosque was subsequently built,[7]: 289  founded by Muhammad Muṣaffi al-Dhahab (Arabic: محمد مُصَفِّي الذهب).[10][11] The mosque had a minaret known as the al-Kawāzīn minaret.[4]

The al-Masfi Mosque was heavily damaged during the 2017 battle to expel ISIS from Mosul. The building was subsequently restored by Aliph, an international organisation dedicated to heritage conservation. It began hosting prayers again in 2021 and it was officially reopened in March 2024.[2][3]

  • Al-Masfi Mosque (after 2024 restoration)
  • Exterior of the present-day al-Masfi Mosque, which stands on the site of the former Umayyad Mosque
    Exterior of the present-day al-Masfi Mosque, which stands on the site of the former Umayyad Mosque
  • Interior of the al-Masfi Mosque
    Interior of the al-Masfi Mosque

References

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  1. ^ Al-Mosuli, Sulaiman Saigh (1923). History of Mosul (in Arabic). ktab INC.
  2. ^ a b Aldroubi, Mina; Mahmoud, Sinan (7 March 2024). "Al Masfi: Mosul's oldest mosque reopens nearly a decade after ISIS occupation". The National. Retrieved 2025-10-11.
  3. ^ a b "Restoration of Al Masfi Mosque in Mosul". Aliph Foundation. Retrieved 2025-10-11.
  4. ^ a b Yusuf, Sharif (2020). المدخل التاريخي لتاريخ العمارة العربية وتطورها (in Arabic). Al Manhal. p. 38. ISBN 9796500428611.
  5. ^ Nováček, Karel (2021). "Mosul architecture". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three. Brill. ISBN 9789004161658.
  6. ^ a b c Honigmann, E.; Bosworth, C.E. & Sluglett, P. (1991). "al-Mawṣil". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume VI: Mahk–Mid. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 899–902. ISBN 978-90-04-08112-3.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Nováček, Karel; Melčák, Miroslav; Beránek, Ondřej; Starková, Lenka (2021). Mosul after Islamic State: The Quest for Lost Architectural Heritage. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-62636-5.
  8. ^ Tabbaa, Yasser (1994). "The Transformation of Arabic Writing: Part 2, the Public Text". Ars Orientalis. 24: 134. ISSN 0571-1371.
  9. ^ Tabbaa, Yasser (2011). The Transformation of Islamic Art during the Sunni Revival. University of Washington Press. pp. 181 (see note 38). ISBN 978-0-295-80393-7.
  10. ^ Francis, Bashir Youssef. موسوعة المدن والمواقع في العراق - الجزء الأول [Encyclopedia of cities and sites in Iraq (Volume 1)] (in Arabic). E-Kutub Ltd. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-78058-262-7.
  11. ^ Siouffi, Nicolas (1956). مجموع الكتابات المحررة في ابنية مدينة الموصل (in Arabic). Maṭbaʻat Shafīq.