Al-Omari Grand Mosque

Al-Omari Grand Mosque is a mosque in Beirut Central District, Lebanon.

Al-Omari Mosque

Overview

The Al-Omari Grand Mosque was the old Crusader Church of Saint John. Built in the 12th century, it was transformed into the city’s Grand Mosque by the Mamluks in 1291. Damaged during the Civil War, the mosque’s refurbishment was completed in 2004.

History

The Al-Omari Grand Mosque was the old Crusader Church of Saint John the Baptist, built in 1150 over the site of the Roman imperial baths. Similar Romanesque style churches with triple apses were built in Tyre and Tartus, using recuperated material such as Roman columns and capitals. In 1291, the Mamluks captured Beirut and converted the church into a mosque. Named Al-Omari Mosque in memory of Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, it soon became known as Jami’ Al-Kabir (‘the Great Mosque’). Its Mamluk-style entrance and minaret were added in 1350. During the French Mandate the façade was redesigned by adding a riwaq, or portico, and integrating the mosque’s main entrance into the new colonnade of Maarad Street. Badly damaged during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), the mosque’s refurbishment was completed in 2004 in a way that reveals the building’s origins and history. A second minaret was built on the northwest corner of a new colonnaded courtyard. Beneath it, an ancient cistern with Roman columns and stone vaults has been preserved.

Timeline

1150: 1150: Old Crusader Church of Saint John, today the Al-Omari Grand Mosque, was built.

1291: The Mamluks captured Beirut and converted the church into a mosque.

1350: The Mamluk-style entrance and minaret of the mosque were added.

1975-1990: During the Civil War, the mosque was badly damaged .

2004: The mosque's refurbishment was completed in a way that reveals the building's origin and history.

See also

• Crusader Church of Saint John the Baptist
• Roman imperial baths
• Romanesque style
• Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab
• Jami' Al-Kabir
• Maarad Street

References

{{Al-Wali, Sheikh Mohammad Taha (1973) Tarikh al-masajid wal jawami’ al-sharifa fi Bayrout, Dar al-Kotob, Beirut.

Enlart, Camille (1904) “La Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Beyrouth” in: Société Nationale des Antiquaires de France: centenaire 1804-1904, Klincksieck, Paris: 121-133.

Information provided by architect Youssef Haidar, Beirut.}}

Coordinates: 33°53′51″N 35°30′19″E / 33.8976°N 35.5052°E / 33.8976; 35.5052