Jami' Nur al-Din (Hama)

Hama, Syria

The Nur al-Din Mosque, or Jami' al-Nuri, is named for Nur al-Din Mahmud b. Zangi, who founded the building in the heart of Hama in 1134-1135/529 AH. 

The mosque is constructed along the left (west) bank of the Orontes River, over which its east side faces. In plan, the mosque is centered around an agglomeration of covered spaces arranged around a large rectangular courtayrd. The main entrance is on the north side, which sits on a sloping lane. The facade is almost completely plain, save for two large lozenges in black stone set into the wall and a large inscription in a rectangular plaque. The mosque's minaret rises from the northwestern corner of the building. The square minaret, made of alternating bands of black basalt and yellow limestone, is one of the mosque's memorable features, and probably imitates the old minaret of the city's Great Mosque, dated to 1134-1135/529 AH. The front door, near the center of the facade, is accessed by a stairwell.

The front door leads onto an arcade that runs the length of the north side of the courtyard and opens onto it through several broad archways. The courtyard is paved and has a large square pool at the center toward the north side. The prayer hall, on the south side of the courtyard, is a narrow rectangular space accessed through several doors. Three domed bays run along the east side of the courtyard, which lead onto narrow rectangular rooms that overlook the river.

Inside the prayer hall the intricately carved wooden minbar still stands as one of the oldest preserved.