The history and nobility of Al-Shafi’i Mosque in historical Jeddah

Arabiaweather.com - Ismail Qasimi - Historic Jeddah or Jeddah Al-Balad is adorned with a number of ancient historical mosques, including the Al-Shafi'i Mosque, which takes you to long times in the history of Islam.

Al-Shafi’i Mosque is considered one of the most important historical Islamic sites in the city of Jeddah, and it is located in Al-Mazloum neighborhood, and it is not only one of the most important historical mosques in Jeddah, but also throughout the entire Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .

The history of building the mosque dates back to the time of the Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him, but it was subjected to rebuilding other times, and therefore it tells the reality of Islamic architecture and the history of Islam since its early ages.

It was restored and reopened last year, while the last previous repair and restoration process took place about 500 years ago, and between the two periods the mosque did not witness any restoration.

The mosque used traditional building materials such as sea clay, wood, and excavated stones. As for the current shape of the building, it still takes the Fatimid architectural character in the internal and external form, as it is a square-shaped courtyard with an exposed middle, and the lighthouse was built during the 13th century AD.

Another mihrab was found under the current one, dating back more than a thousand years, in addition to a number of precious stones and corals, during excavations for the antiquities under the mosque and the renovations that took place 500 years ago.

The mosque is rectangular in shape and extends from east to west. It is divided into two parts, the courtyard and the qibla iwan. There are a number of external columns in the courtyard, and inside there are Ottoman columns, some of which are marble and others are made of stone.