Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque Explained

Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque
Native Name:ar|جامع محمد الأمين
Image Upright:1.4
Map Type:Lebanon Beirut
Map Size:250
Map Relief:yes
Coordinates:33.895°N 35.5064°W
Religious Affiliation:Sunni Islam
Location:Beirut
Country:Lebanon
Festivals:-->
Organizational Status:-->
Functional Status:Active
Architect:Azmi Fakhoury
Groundbreaking:2002
Year Completed:2008
Date Destroyed:-->
Capacity:6,400 worshippers
Dome Quantity:Five
Minaret Quantity:Four
Materials:Stone; tiles
Elevation Ft:-->

The Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque (ar|جامع محمد الأمين), also referred to as the Blue Mosque, is a Sunni Islam mosque, located in downtown Beirut, Lebanon.

In the 19th century, a zawiya was built on this site. Decades of preparation to obtain sufficient land adjacent to the old Zawiya led finally to the building of the new mosque. The mosque was inaugurated in 2008, and is located adjacent to the Maronite Cathedral of Saint George.

History

In the 19th century, a zawiya, named after Sheikh Abu Nasr al-Yafi, was built on this site. Souk Abu Nasr was located in the same area and was operational with the zawiya until 1975.[1] [2]

On August 4, 2020, the mosque was badly damaged by the Beirut explosions. Its chandeliers and windows were shattered, leaving broken glass on the floor.[3]

Construction and design

Soon after the Lebanon Civil War, following a donation by the late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, the foundation for the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque was laid in November 2002. Hariri was assassinated on February 14, 2005, and his body is buried next to the mosque, within the Martyrs' Square of Beirut. The mosque was used for Hariri's funeral ceremony.[4]

During the construction of the mosque, archaeologists uncovered a section of the east-west main Roman street (Decumanus Maximus), with paving and columns.[5] After the first stone was laid out for the mosque, the first concrete was poured in 2003. By 2005, the architecture of the mosque had begun to be built and the mosque was inaugurated in 2008.[6]

Designed by Azmi Fakhoury in a style similar to the architecture of Ottoman Turk, the mosque can accomodate up to 6,400 worshippers.[7] The Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque contains fivee domes, all of which are made from light blue tiles. The interior details have patterned ceilings and a dome circle. The ornament that seems to be a chandelier dangles in front of the mihrab.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Vloeberghs, Ward . Architecture, Power and Religion in Lebanon: Rafiq Hariri and the Politics of Sacred Space in Beirut . 2016-01-01 . BRILL . 978-90-04-30705-6 . 10.1163/9789004307056_006 .
  2. Book: Hallaq, Hassan . 1987 . Bayrut al-mahrousa fil'ahd al-'uthmâni . Beirut during the Ottoman Period . Dar al-Jami'at . Beirut . ar .
  3. News: In pictures: Beirut 'like a war zone' after deadly blast . . 5 August 2020 . 6 August 2020.
  4. Knudsen, Are . December 2016 . Death of a Statesman - Birth of a Martyr . Anthropology of the Middle East . 11 . 1–17 . Proquest .
  5. Book: Vloeberghs, Ward . 2008 . The Genesis of a Mosque: Negotiating Sacred Space in Downtown Beirut . European University Institute Working Papers 17 . Robert Shuman Center for Advanced Studies . Florence .
  6. Book: Hallaq, Hassan . 1987 . Al-tarikh alijtima'i wa al-siyasi wa al-iqtisadi fi Bayrut, . Social, Political and Economic History of Beirut . Dar al-Jami'at . Beirut . ar .
  7. Web site: Mohammed Al Amin Mosque . The Libshop Travel Guide . 2024 . 2 December 2024 .