Al-Majidiyyeh Mosque

Al-Majidiyyeh Mosque
Arabic: جامع المجيدية
The minaret of the mosque in 2010
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
StatusActive
Location
LocationBeirut
CountryLebanon
Al-Majidiyyeh Mosque is located in Beirut
Al-Majidiyyeh Mosque
Shown within Beirut
Geographic coordinates33°54′3.1″N 35°30′15.9″E / 33.900861°N 35.504417°E / 33.900861; 35.504417
Architecture
TypeMosque architecture
StyleOttoman
Completed
  • 12th century (as a fort)
  • 1844 (as a mosque)
Minaret(s)One

The Al-Majidiyyeh Mosque (Arabic: جامع المجيدية) is a mosque, located in Beirut, Lebanon. Originally a fort, the building was converted into a mosque in the mid-19th century and named after Sultan Abdul Majid. Damaged during the Lebanese Civil War, the mosque was restored in 2004.

History

Originally a fort overlooking the harbor, the fort formed an integral part of the city ramparts. Deserted, it then served as an Ottoman army munitions magazine and as a warehouse used by wood merchants.[1]

In 1841, a group of Beirut citizens collected funds to restore the building, adding a new structure on its western side. In 1844, the building was converted it into a mosque, and named it ‘Al-Majidiyyeh,’ in honor of Sultan Abdul Majid. The mosque was enlarged in 1906 when pointed arches - fashionable in Beirut at the end of the 19th century – were added to its façade.[2]

In 1974, the monument was entirely renovated. Its location between Khan Antoun Bey and Souk Al-Tawileh made it very vulnerable and the mosque was severely damaged during the early years of the Civil War (1975-1990).[3] Post-war restoration started in 2000 and was completed in 2004. It included the reinstatement of an entrance from Khan Antoun Bey Square and the addition of a new, taller minaret.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hallaq, Hassan (1987). Bayrut al-mahrousa fil'ahd al-'uthmâni [Beirut during the Ottoman Period] (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar al-Jami’at.
  2. ^ Al-Wali, Sheikh Mohammad Taha (1973). Tarikh al-masajid wal jawami’ al-sharifa fi Bayrout (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar al-Kotob.
  3. ^ Hallaq, Hassan (1987). Al-tarikh alijtima'i wa al-siyasi wa al-iqtisadi fi Bayrut [Social, Political and Economic History of Beirut] (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar al-Jami'at.

Further reading

  • Les lieux de culte au Liban (in French). Beyrouth: Ministère du Tourisme.

Media related to Al-Majidiyyeh Mosque at Wikimedia Commons