Al-Shu'aybiyya Mosque
| al-Shuaibiyah Mosque | |
|---|---|
جَامِع الشُّعَيْبِيَّة | |
The mosque in 2009, before the 2016 Battle of Aleppo | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Mosque |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | al-Aqabah district, Aleppo |
| Country | Syria |
Interactive map of al-Shuaibiyah Mosque | |
| Coordinates | 36°11′58″N 37°09′10″E / 36.199331°N 37.152738°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Islamic architecture |
| Completed | 1150–1 CE |
| Materials | Stone |
Ancient Aleppo | |
| Official name | Ancient City of Aleppo |
| Location | Aleppo, Syria |
| Includes | Citadel of Aleppo, Al-Madina Souq |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iii), (iv) |
| Reference | 21 |
| Inscription | 1986 (10th Session) |
| Endangered | 2013–2020 |
| Area | 364 ha (1.41 sq mi) |
The al-Shu'aybiyya Mosque (Arabic: جَامِع الشُّعَيْبِيَّة, romanized: Jāmiʿ aš-Šuʿaybīyah),[1] also known as the Qastal al-Shu'aybiyya,[2][3][4][5] the al-Shu'aybiyya Madrasa,[6][7] or popularly as the al-Tuteh Mosque (Arabic: جَامِع التُّوتَة, romanized: Jāmiʿ at-Tūtah, lit. 'Mosque of the Mulberry tree'),[1] is a mosque and historic monument in Aleppo, Syria. It is located in the western part of historic Aleppo, a World Heritage Site, near the Antioch Gate. It was built in 1150–1 by the Zengid ruler Nur al-Din. It replaced an earlier building on the same site which had been the first mosque in the city.[3]
History
The current building replaced an earlier mosque on the same site that is now lost.[2][1] This small mosque had been the first mosque in the city and it commemorated the spot, just inside the Antioch Gate, where Muslims first prayed inside the city after capturing it from the Byzantines in 637.[2][3]: 298 Its original construction may have incorporated a Roman/Byzantine tetrapylon that stood on this site and that might have inspired the future building here.[3]: 296 The mosque was renovated in the 10th century by a local Shi'a patron, Abu'l Hasan al-Ghadairi (d. 925).[3]: 296 [5]
In 1150–1, Nur al-Din (r. 1146–1174) transformed this site into a new Sunni and Shafi'i madrasa headed by an Andalusi jurist known as Shaykh Shu'ayb.[3]: 296 [1][5] The act of transforming a Shi'a mosque into a Sunni madrasa was part of Nur al-Din's wider campaign against Shi'ism, which was prevalent in Aleppo at the time, during a time of tension between Shi'as and Sunnis.[3][5][1] The present-day structure dates from Nur al-Din's construction, though much of the former madrasa structure has now disappeared as well.[3]: 296, 297
Architecture
The building is unusual in Islamic architecture.[1][2] The present-day historical remains are small structure that consists of a partially-preserved façade with an entrance gate on one side -- leading to the former madrasa, now lost -- and a wall fountain or sabil.[3]: 290
The most notable feature of the façade is the presence of a richly-decorated entablature in Classical style along the top of the wall. The stone-carved motifs of this entablature appear to imitate ancient Roman or Byzantine decoration.[3][1][7] It is also carved with an Arabic inscription containing an excerpt from the Qur'an (Surah 9:18).[3]: 296 Current scholarship agrees that the façade's decoration dates from Nur al-Din's construction circa 1150.[3][1][7] This has led to scholarly debate about the presence and meaning of a possible "classical revival" in the architecture of 12th-century Syria.[3] Islamic art historian Julian Raby argues that while classical elements and motifs are visible in multiple Islamic monuments built across the wider region around this time, they likely had different local motivations.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Burns, Ross (2016). Aleppo: A History. Taylor & Francis. pp. 131–133. ISBN 978-1-134-84401-2.
- ^ a b c d Tabbaa, Yasser (1997). Constructions of Power and Piety in Medieval Aleppo. Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-271-04331-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Raby, Julian (2004). "Nur Al-Din, the Qastal al-Shu'aybiyya, and the "Classical Revival"". Muqarnas. 21: 289–310.
- ^ Tabbaa, Yasser (2011). The Transformation of Islamic Art during the Sunni Revival. University of Washington Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-295-80393-7.
- ^ a b c d Latiff, Osman (2017). The Cutting Edge of the Poet’s Sword: Muslim Poetic Responses to the Crusades. Brill. p. 25. ISBN 978-90-04-34522-5.
- ^ Gonnella, Julia (2010). "Columns and Hieroglyphs: Magic "Spolia" in Medieval Islamic Architecture of Northern Syria". Muqarnas. 27: 114. ISSN 0732-2992.
- ^ a b c Greenhalgh, Michael (2009). Marble Past, Monumental Present: Building With Antiquities in the Mediaeval Mediterranean. Brill. p. 469. ISBN 978-90-04-17083-4.
External links
Media related to Al-Shuaybiye or al-Tuteh (of the Mulberry Tree) mosque at Wikimedia Commons
- سبيل المدرسة الشعيبية" أقدم سبلان "حلب [Al-Shuaibiyah Mosque]. eSyria (in Arabic). August 2, 2011.