1 of 1
Jami' al-MawaziniAleppo, Syria
The Mosque of Taghribirdi, known popularly as the Mosque of al-Mawazini, is located in the residential neighborhood in the old city of Aleppo southeast of the Adiliyya Mosque. It was constructed under the supervision of Shihab al-Din Ahmad ibn Zayn al-Din during the rule of the Mamluk governor of Aleppo Sayf al-Din Taghribirdi between 1394 - 1397/796 - 800 AH.
The mosque is notable for its idiosyncratic plan: the building consists of an oblong, vaulted prayer hall whose ceiling is supported by four large columns that divide the space into two aisles, both parallel to the mihrab (on the southwest wall). The bay before the mihrab is domed. The northeast wall of the building opposite the mihrab contains six large pillars and is slanted at an angle from the qibla wall, giving the space an irregular shape. Furthermore, the qibla wall does not face Mecca but is off by a large margin. These structural components appear to pre-date the fourteenth century and may even be antique. This fact and the irregularity of the building suggests that it served as a church before being converted to a mosque during the Mamluk period.
The mihrab of the Mawazini/Taghribirdi Mosque is notable for its lavish use of colored marbles and mosaic. A wooden plaque installed in the qibla wall gives the date of 799 AH (1397) is the mosque's date of completion.
Sources:
Herzfeld, Ernst. Matériaux pour un Corpus inscriptionum arabicarum. Part 2: Syrie du nord. Inscriptions et monuments d’Alep, vol. 1, pt. 2, p. 355-359. 2 vols. in 3 parts. Cairo: Institut Francais d'archéologie orientale, 1954-1956.
Meinicke, Michael. Die Mamlukische Architektur in Ägypten und Syrien (648/1250 bis 923/1517), 2:287-288. 2 Vols. Glückstadt: J. J. Augustin, 1992.
Location
Aleppo, Syria
Associated Names
Events
1394-1397/796-800 AH
Style Periods
1250-1517
Variant Names
جامع الموازيني
Original
Mawazini Mosque
Translated
Jami' al-Mawazini
Aleppo, Syria
The Mosque of Taghribirdi, known popularly as the Mosque of al-Mawazini, is located in the residential neighborhood in the old city of Aleppo southeast of the Adiliyya Mosque. It was constructed under the supervision of Shihab al-Din Ahmad ibn Zayn al-Din during the rule of the Mamluk governor of Aleppo Sayf al-Din Taghribirdi between 1394 - 1397/796 - 800 AH.
The mosque is notable for its idiosyncratic plan: the building consists of an oblong, vaulted prayer hall whose ceiling is supported by four large columns that divide the space into two aisles, both parallel to the mihrab (on the southwest wall). The bay before the mihrab is domed. The northeast wall of the building opposite the mihrab contains six large pillars and is slanted at an angle from the qibla wall, giving the space an irregular shape. Furthermore, the qibla wall does not face Mecca but is off by a large margin. These structural components appear to pre-date the fourteenth century and may even be antique. This fact and the irregularity of the building suggests that it served as a church before being converted to a mosque during the Mamluk period.
The mihrab of the Mawazini/Taghribirdi Mosque is notable for its lavish use of colored marbles and mosaic. A wooden plaque installed in the qibla wall gives the date of 799 AH (1397) is the mosque's date of completion.
Sources:
Herzfeld, Ernst. Matériaux pour un Corpus inscriptionum arabicarum. Part 2: Syrie du nord. Inscriptions et monuments d’Alep, vol. 1, pt. 2, p. 355-359. 2 vols. in 3 parts. Cairo: Institut Francais d'archéologie orientale, 1954-1956.
Meinicke, Michael. Die Mamlukische Architektur in Ägypten und Syrien (648/1250 bis 923/1517), 2:287-288. 2 Vols. Glückstadt: J. J. Augustin, 1992.
Location
Aleppo, Syria
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
1394-1397/796-800 AH
Style Periods
1250-1517
Variant Names
جامع الموازيني
Original
Mawazini Mosque
Translated