Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque or Shaykh Ali al-Baka Mosque (Arabic: مسجد الشيخ علي بكاء) is a 13th-century mosque in the northwestern section of the Old City of Hebron in the southern West Bank, Palestine. It is situated in the Harat ash-Sheikh (or Sheik Ali al-Bakka) quarter, one of the Old City's quarters, which is named after the mosque.[1]
Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque | |
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مسجد الشيخ علي بكاء | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Islam |
Branch/tradition | Sunni |
Location | |
Location | Hebron, West Bank, Palestine |
Shown within the West Bank | |
Geographic coordinates | 31°31′42.3″N 35°06′13.5″E / 31.528417°N 35.103750°E |
Architecture | |
Type | mosque |
Style | Mamluk |
Completed | 1282 |
Minaret(s) | 1 |
The mosque was founded by the Husam ad-Din Turuntay in 1282 during the reign of Mamluk sultan al-Mansur Qalawun. Turuntay was the representative of the sultan in Jerusalem. The sanctuary is named after Sheikh Ali al-Bakka, a renowned Sufi religious leader from Iraq who lived in Hebron.[2] The minaret was erected by the viceroy and practical strongman of the sultanate, Sayf al-Din Salar (d. 1310).[3]
The original mosque was mostly demolished, however the minaret still stands and is viewed as an exemplary work of Mamluk architecture. Sitting on a rectangular base, its shaft has a hexagonal shape. The minaret base has an arched corridor which leads to the courtyard. In 1978 a new mosque was built on the site, but preserved the remains of the original mosque.[2]