| White Mosque | |
|---|---|
المسجد الأبيض המסגד הלבן | |
.jpg) Minaret of the White Mosque, 2006 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Location | |
| Location | Ramla,Central District |
| Country |  Israel |
  Location of Ramla's White Mosque within Israel | |
| Geographic coordinates | 31°55′39.21″N34°51′57.67″E / 31.9275583°N 34.8660194°E /31.9275583; 34.8660194 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz |
| Type | Islamic |
| Style | Umayyad,Mamluk |
| Completed | 717 CE (enclosure); rebuilt by 1047; second phase 1190; third phase 1268 (minaret); rebuilt 1318 and 1408[1][2] |
| Specifications | |
| Dome(s) | 1 |
| Minaret(s) | 1 |
| Minaret height | 27 metres (89 ft) |
TheWhite Mosque (Arabic:المسجد الأبيض,romanized: al-Masjid al-Abyad;Hebrew:המסגד הלבן,romanized: HaMisgad HaLavan) was anUmayyad-eramosque located inRamle,Israel.[3] Only itsminaret is still standing. According to localIslamic tradition, the northwestern section of the mosque contained theshrine of an Islamic prophet,Salih.[4]
The minaret is also known as theTower of the Forty Martyrs.[5][6][7] Islamic tradition dating back to 1467 claims that fortycompanions of the Islamic prophetMuhammad were buried at the mosque, which influenced an erroneous[2]Western Christian tradition from the 16th century that the White Mosque was originally achurch dedicated to theForty Martyrs of Sebaste.[8][9]
Construction on the White Mosque was initiated by theUmayyad governor (and futurecaliph)Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik in 715–717 CE,[10] but was completed by his successorUmar II in 720.[2] The mosque itself was constructed ofmarble, while its courtyard was made of other local stone.[11] Some two-and-a-half centuries later,Al-Maqdisi (c. 945/946–991) described it as follows:
“The chief mosque ofal-Ramla is in the market, and it is even more beautiful and graceful than that ofDamascus (Umayyad Mosque). It is called al-Abyad the White Mosque. In allIslam there is found no finermihrab (prayer niche) than the one here, and itspulpit is the most splendid to be seen after that ofJerusalem; also it possesses a beautifulminaret, built by the caliphHisham ibn Abd al-Malik. I have heard my uncle relate that when this caliph was about to build the minaret, it was reported to him that theChristians possessed columns of marble, at this time lying buried beneath the sand, which they had prepared for the Church of Baliʾah (Abu Ghosh). Thereupon the caliph Hisham informed the Christians that either they must show him where these columns lay, or that he would demolish their church atLydda (Church of Saint George), and employ its columns for the building of his mosque. So the Christians pointed out where they had buried their columns. They are very thick, and tall, and beautiful. The covered portion (or main building) of the mosque is flagged with marble, and the court with other stone, all carefully laid together. The gates of the main-building are made of cypress-wood and cedar, carved in the inner parts, and very beautiful in appearance.”[12]
An earthquake in January 1034 destroyed the mosque, "leaving it in a heap of ruins", along with a third of the city. In 1047,Nasir Khusraw reported that the mosque had been rebuilt.[2]
After the initial reconstruction,Saladin ordered in 1190 one of his outstanding architects, Ilyas Ibn ʿAbd Allah, to supervise what is considered the second construction phase of the mosque. Ilyas built the mosque's western side and the western enclosure wall, together with the centralwudu building.[dubious –discuss][1]
The third phase, in 1267–1268, began after the final fall of the ChristianKingdom of Jerusalem. On the orders of theMamluk sultanal-Zahir Baibars, the mosque was rededicated and modified by adding the minaret, the dome, a new pulpit and prayer niche, a portico east of the minaret, and two halls outside the enclosure.[4][2][1] Later Mamluk sultanal-Nasir Muhammad renovated the minaret after an earthquake in October 1318.[1] The Mamluks again commissioned restoration works in 1408.[13]
The last restoration of the White Mosque of Ramle took place during between 1844-1918. Since then, the mosque has been mostly destroyed, except for its minaret.[14]
The White Mosque's compound is rectangular, 93 by 84 meters (305 ft × 276 ft), and oriented to thecardinal points.[13] A large, open courtyard is surrounded by built structures and walls.[13]
The 12 meters (39 ft) wide prayer hall stands along the southern wall, with twelve openings northwards to the courtyard.[13] Its ceiling consists of cross-vaults supported by a central row of pillars.[13] The ceiling and the western part of the prayer hall are 12th-century additions made bySaladin, who also had a newmihrab (prayer niche) built.[13]
Much of the mosque was built inwhite marble withcypress andcedar wood used for the doors. Of its four facades, the eastern one is in disrepair.[4][dubious –discuss]
The currentMamluk-builtminaret stands on the northern side of the mosque compound, is square in shape and five stories high, each adorned with window niches, and has a balcony towards the top. The minaret was probably influenced byCrusader-era Christian architecture, but it was built by the Mamluks.[4] 27 meters (89 ft) tall,[10] it is accessed via a staircase with 125 steps and contains small rooms, which could be used for resting or as study rooms.[1]
Al-Maqdisi mentions a minaret in the 10th century.[12] There is speculation about a minaret predating the Mamluk one that may have been located closer to the centre of the mosque, as remnants of a square foundation have been found there. However, this may have been just a fountain.[4][dubious –discuss]
Below the central courtyard of the mosque, there are three large and well-preserved undergroundcisterns with barrel-vaults carried by pillars.[1] Two cisterns (the southern and western ones) were filled by an underground water duct probably connected to theaqueduct built simultaneously with the mosque and city, which broughtspring water (probably from the vicinity ofGezer to the east).[1][15] The third eastern cistern was supplied by runoff rainwater.[1] The reservoirs provided water for worshippers at the mosque and filled the pool forwudu at the center of the courtyard, of which only the foundation remains today.[13]
Excavations conducted by theState of Israel in 1949 on behalf of theMinistry of Religious Services and theIsrael Department of Antiquities and Museums revealed that the mosque enclosure was built in the form of a quadrangle and included the mosque itself; two porticoes along the quadrangle's east and west walls; the north wall; the minaret; an unidentified building in the centre to the area; and three subterraneancisterns. The mosque was a broad-house, with aqibla facingMecca. Two inscriptions were found that mention repairs to the mosque: the first relates that sultanBaibars built a dome over the minaret and added a door; the second inscription states that in 1408,Seif ed-Din Baighut ez-Zahiri had the walls of the southern cistern coated with plaster.[3]
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