Great Mosque of Raqqa
| Great Mosque of Raqqa الجامع الكبير في الرقة | |
|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Location |
 |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°57′7″N 39°1′15″E / 35.95194°N 39.02083°ECoordinates: 35°57′7″N 39°1′15″E / 35.95194°N 39.02083°E |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Region | Levant |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Mosque |
| Architectural style | Islamic architecture |
| Completed | 772 |
| Specifications | |
| Minaret(s) | 1 |
| Materials | Mud brick |
The Great Mosque of Raqqa (Arabic: الجامع الكبير في الرقة) is the oldest mosque in Raqqa, Syria, located at the northern section of the city's heart. It has a rectangular plan (108 meters (354 ft) x 92 meters (302 ft)) with 1.7 meters (5.6 ft) thick mud brick walls fortified with semi-circular towers at the corners.[1] The outer walls of the mosque are constructed of mud bricks supported by solid semi-circular buttress towers. The prayer hall consisted of three arcades supported on cylindrical piers, whilst the other three sides were lined with double arcades. The building is decorated with stucco, traces of which survive.[2]
The mosque was built by the Abbasids in 772 CE, under the reign of caliph al-Mansur. All that remains of the mosque today are the baked brick minaret (25 meters (82 ft)) and the prayer hall (haram) façade with eleven arches that were added by Nur ad-Din Zangi during the 1165 renovation of the mosque.[1][3]
References
- 1 2 Great Mosque of Raqqa Archnet Digital Library.
- ↑ Petersen, 1999, p.245.
- ↑ Raqqa: the Great Mosque Come to Syria.
Bibliography
- Peterson, Andrew (1999). Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-21332-0.
