| Great Mosque of Aleppo | |
|---|---|
جَامِع حَلَب ٱلْكَبِيْر | |
 Panoramic view in 2010, prior to its 2013 partial destruction | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Status | Under reconstruction |
| Location | |
| Location | Al-Jalloum district,Aleppo |
| Country | Syria |
 Interactive map of Great Mosque of Aleppo | |
| Coordinates | 36°11′58.17″N37°9′24.88″E / 36.1994917°N 37.1569111°E /36.1994917; 37.1569111 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Hasan ibn Mufarraj al-Sarmini |
| Type | Mosque |
| Style | |
| Completed |
|
| Destroyed | Partially destroyed in April 2013 (during theSyrian Civil War) |
| Specifications | |
| Dome | 1 |
| Minaret | 1 |
| Materials | Stone |
| Official name | Ancient City of Aleppo |
| Location | Aleppo, Syria |
| Includes | Citadel of Aleppo,Al-Madina Souq |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iii), (iv) |
| Reference | 21 |
| Inscription | 1986 (10thSession) |
| Endangered | 2013–2020 |
| Area | 364 ha (1.41 sq mi) |
TheGreat Mosque of Aleppo (Arabic:جَامِع حَلَب ٱلْكَبِيْر,romanized: Jāmiʿ Ḥalab al-Kabīr), also known as theGreat Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo (Arabic:ٱلْجَامِع ٱلْأُمَوِي ٱلْكَبِيْر فِي حَلَب,romanized: Al-Jāmiʿ al-Umawī al-Kabīr fī Ḥalab), was the largest and one of the oldestmosques in the city ofAleppo, Syria, first built during theUmayyad Caliphate. The former mosque, now in partial ruins, is located in the al-Jalloum district of theAncient City of Aleppo, aWorld Heritage Site, near the entrance toAl-Madina Souq. The mosque was purportedly home to the remains ofZechariah, the father ofJohn the Baptist. It was built in the beginning of the 8th centuryCE during the reign of the Umayyad caliphSulayman (r. 715–717),[1] but the current building dates from the 11th through 14th centuries.
Theminaret in the mosque, built in 1090,[2] was destroyed during fighting in theSyrian Civil War in April 2013.[3][4][5][6][7] Between 2012 and 2016, the structure of the mosque sustained significant damage, including the collapse of parts of its walls, the burning of its prayer hall, and the loss of priceless historical artefacts.[8] Work commenced inc. 2017 to restore the mosque and its minaret.[9][10] TheWest Asia Post reported in 2024 that the mosque had been partially reopened;[11] although other reports in late 2024 claimed that the mosque was still undergoing repairs.[12] The mosque was reopened in 2025 for the month of Ramadan (March 2025) only,[13] reconstruction commenced on 30th of November 2025.[14]
The site of the Great Mosque was once theagora of theHellenistic period, which later became the garden for the Cathedral ofSaint Helena during the Christian era of Roman rule in Syria.[15]
The mosque was built on land that formerly was used as the Cathedral cemetery.[2] The church itself was left and the area became a sacred place for both religions. According to later traditions,[16][17] the construction of the earliest mosque on the site was commenced by theUmayyad caliphAl-Walid I in 715 and was finished by his successorSulayman ibn Abd al-Malik in 717.[18] Architectural historianK. A. C. Creswell has attributed its construction solely to the latter, quoting 13th century Aleppine historianIbn al-Adim who wrote Sulayman's intent was "to make it equal to the work of his brother al-Walid in theGreat Mosque at Damascus". Another tradition claims al-Walid founded the mosque using materials from the so-called "Church of Cyrrus".[16]
However, architectural historianJere L. Bacharach noted that the most likely patron of the mosque wasMaslamah ibn Abd al-Malik, a brother of al-Walid and Sulayman who was the governor of the local province (Jund Qinnasrin) sometime prior to 710 until at least the early period of Sulayman's rule. Accordingly, this would explain the belief that the mosque's construction took place during the reign of bothcaliphs. Moreover, Maslamah's governorship of Qinnasrin was largely ignored by the early Arabic historians, who focused their attention on hiscampaigns against theByzantine Empire and theArmenians, and his governorship over the provinces ofIraq,Iranian Azerbaijan,Upper Mesopotamia andArmenia. 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".[16]
In the second half of the 11th century, theMirdasids controlled Aleppo and built a single-domed fountain in the mosque's courtyard.[19] At the northwest corner of the mosque, the 45-meter highminaret was built by theShia Muslimqadi ("chief Islamic judge") of Aleppo, Abu'l Hasan Muhammad in 1090,[20] during the reign ofSeljuk governorAq Sunqur al-Hajib. Its construction was finished in 1094 duringTutush's rule.[21] The architect of the project was Hasan ibn Mufarraj al-Sarmini.[21][22]
The mosque was restored and expanded by theZengid sultanNur al-Din in 1159 after a great fire that had destroyed the earlier Umayyad structure;[15] In 1260, the mosque wasrazed by theMongols.[18][23] In 1281, the mosque was burned again by the Mongols, and theminbar was taken by theArmenians ofSis, according toAl-Mufaddal.[24]
TheMamluks (1260–1516) made repairs and alterations. CarvedKufic andnaskhi inscriptions decorated the entire minaret along with alternate bands of stylized ornaments in patterns andmuqarnas.[18][25] SultanQalawun replaced the burnt outmihrab (niche indicating theqibla, or direction toMecca) in 1285. Later, Sultanal-Nasir Muhammad (1293–1341) had the newminbar ("preacher's pulpit") constructed during his reign.[25]
The courtyard and minaret of the mosque were renovated in 2003.[18]
On 13 October 2012 the mosque was seriously damaged during clashes between the armed groups of theFree Syrian Army and theSyrian Army forces. PresidentBashar al-Assad issued a presidential decree to form a committee to repair the mosque by the end of 2013.[26]
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.[27]
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 ongoingSyrian civil war. TheSyrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that members ofJabhat al-Nusra detonated explosives inside the minaret, while opposition activists said that the minaret was destroyed bySyrian Army tank fire as part of an offensive.[3][27][28] Countering assertions by the state media of Jabhat al-Nusra's involvement, opposition sources described them as rebels from theTawhid Brigades who were fighting government forces around the mosque.[29] The opposition's main political bloc, theSyrian National Coalition (SNC), condemned the minaret's destruction, calling it "an indelible disgrace" and "a crime against human civilization".[29] Syrians have begun rebuilding and restoring the site, with some meager international assistance.[30]
The Great Mosque contains a number of architectural similarities to the Great Mosque of Damascus, including ahypostyle 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,[18] both of which are roofed. The courtyard also has an open prayerestrade and a sundial.[25]
Theḥaram ("sanctuary") consists of the main prayer hall to the courtyard's south,[25] which contains the primary elements of the mosque: the shrine ofZechariah, a 15th-centuryminbar ("pulpit"), and an elaborately carvedmiḥrāb ("niche").[18] Although the central entrance contains an inscription attributing its construction toOttoman sultanMurad III, it was built by the Mamluks.[31] The hall has threenaves, all lined with 18 quadrangularcolumns withcross-vaults.[25] This large prayer hall originally had a basic straight rooftop with a centralqubbah (dome, but during Mamluk rule was replaced with an intricate cross-vaulted system with arches and a small dome over the arcades.[18] Themihrab is deep and round and Zechariah's supposed tomb is to its left along the southern wall.[25]
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 ofMalik Shah (1072–92) and the north hall was renovated during Mamluk sultanBarquq's reign (1382–1399), but largely maintained its original 11th century character.[25]
.jpg)
Theminaret's shaft, which protruded out of the flat roof of one of the halls,[25] consisted of fivelevels with a crowning top encircled with averanda. Amuqarnas-stylecornice divided the veranda top from the shaft. The structure was largely built of fineashlar.[21] The minaret was heavily decorated inrelief ornament, more so than any other Islamic-era structure in Aleppo with the exception of the Shu'aybiyah Madrasa. Its stories containedcusped arches and continuousmouldings. Themasonry 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.[22]
According toE.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, the minaret was "quite unique in the whole of Muslim architecture".[25] ArchaeologistErnst Herzfeld described the architectural style of the minaret as being "the product of Mediterranean civilization," writing that its fourfacades carried elements ofGothic 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 andEdessa".[32] The decoration of the minaret demonstrates a level of continuity with pre-Islamic Syrian architecture.[33][34][35]
The Great Mosque has a small museum annexed to it containing a number of ancient manuscripts. Similar to the Great Mosque of Damascus, amaqsurah 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 theProphet Zakariah, decorated with silver embroideries containing Quranic verses from the chapter of Mariyam, was located in the center of the room.[36] 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.[37]
.jpg)
.jpg)
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 Arab-Syrian blended with Roman architectural heritage.
… 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 ...
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)great mosque aleppo minaret.
