Sidna Omar Mosque | |
---|---|
مسجد سيدنا عمر | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Islam |
Rite | Sunni |
Governing body | Jerusalem Waqf[1] |
Location | |
Location | Old City of Jerusalem |
Geographic coordinates | 31°46′30″N 35°13′52″E / 31.77500°N 35.23111°E |
Architecture | |
Type | mosque |
Style | Mamluk |
Date established | Before[2] or after 1400,[3] Mamluk period |
Minaret(s) | 1 |
The Sidna Omar Mosque (Arabic: مسجد سيدنا عمر, lit. 'Lord Omar mosque') is a Mamluk-era mosque in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It stands adjacent to the Hurva and Ramban Synagogues.[1]
After Israel captured East Jerusalem, including the Old City of Jerusalem, in the Six-Day War, the mosque was closed, and has been closed ever since.
The earliest reference know to the mosque was made by historian Mujir al-Din (born in 1496), who mentions the mosque was renovated in 1397, with funds collected and land donated to maintain it.[2] Obadiah Bartenura wrote that the mosque was built by a Jew who had converted to Islam.[4]
In the Six-Day War, the minaret was hit by snipers and was renovated in 1974.[2]
Further renovations to the building were done in 2019, paid for by the government of Jordan.[1]
The minaret is typical of the Mamluk period. It rises two stories high and is topped by a balcony for the muezzin. The upper part of the minaret is narrower than its base in order to stabilize the structure.[2]
Some columns found inside the mosque have led to it being associated with the Crusader Church of St Martin in the late nineteenth century;[5] according to Burgoyne since the columns are in their secondary use "this tenuous link between the mosque and the church cannot be maintained."[2]