Attarine Mosque

Attarine Mosque
مسجد العطارين
View of the Attarine Mosque from the similarly named street, giving a good view of the minaret
Religion
Affiliation	Sunni Islam
Location
Location	Alexandria, Egypt
Egypt
Geographic coordinates	31.1949°N 29.8979°E / 31.1949; 29.8979
Architecture
Type	mosque
Style	Ottoman, Mamluk
Date established	370 (as church), 641 (as mosque)
Completed	370 (church), 1912 (mosque)
Specifications
Dome(s)	1
Minaret(s)	1
Shrine(s)	1
Former church, then mosque, contained the sarcophagus of Nectanebo II

The Attarine Mosque (Arabic: مسجد العطارين), also known as the Al-Juyushi Mosque (Arabic: الجامع الجيوشى) is a historic mosque located in Alexandria, Egypt. It was built on the site of a former church dedicated to Athanasius of Alexandria which was later dedicated to Saint Sabbas. The present structure of the mosque dates back to the early 20th century, and much of its original foundation has been lost, save for an inscription on a stone which commemorates Badr al-Jamali, one of the renovators of the mosque.

History

In 370 AD Saint Athanasius has consecrated the Church of Bendideion (Ancient Greek: Βενδιδείων) on the site of the former temple of Bendis, in the northern part of the Canopic street. In the 7th century, monks began building cells around an ancient church, laying the foundation for a monastery in the area. This initial monastery was destroyed by an earthquake, and was later rebuilt by a wealthy man, who dedicated it to Saint Sabbas the Sanctified.

On November 8, 641 AD, Alexandria fell into Muslim control by the Rashidun Caliph, Umar after a 14-month siege under the leadership of Amr ibn al-As when the Byzantine Empire surrendered the city to the Muslims. The church was converted into a mosque. Over time, the mosque was abandoned and became ruined. During the Fatimid era, the mosque was fully restored under the guidance of the Fatimid vizier Badr al-Jamali who funded the restoration using taxes imposed on the people of Alexandria. During the reign of Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad, the mosque was used as a congregational mosque, and the Friday prayers were performed there. But after his death, the mosque became neglected until the rule of Khedive Abbas II of Egypt who ordered his men to plan a restoration. The mosque was fully rebuilt from the ground up, and such a structure remains until this day.

18th century illustration of the Attarine Mosque by Vivant Denon.

Architecture

Inside the prayer hall of the mosque.

The plan of the Attarine Mosque is rectangular in shape. The mosque has two floors, the one on ground level is for men. In the middle of the courtyard are four stone pillars, which are united with two columns made of marble. The mosque has a skylight with four plaster window openings on each side. Below the ceiling of the middle part is inscribed calligraphy of several verses from Surah al-Fatihah. The southern part of the mosque has several shops incorporated into it, and proceeds from the shops are used to fund the mosque's repairs. The mosque has a single minaret made from brick.

In the eastern part of the mosque, accessible from the eastern entrance, is a small mausoleum dedicated to a local patron saint, Muhammad ibn Sulayman, who is the grandson of the famed military commander, Khalid ibn al-Walid. The construction of the mausoleum dates back to the reign of Khedive Abbas II.

Archeological finds

During the Napoleonic rule of Egypt, a stone sarcophagus was found in the courtyard of the mosque. It was later discovered that the sarcophagus was that of Nectanebo II, the last native Egyptian Pharaoh. He is not buried inside there as he had already fled from the Persians before their conquest of Egypt. During Islamic rule, it was used as a water basin for ablution, and twelve holes were drilled into it which functioned as draining holes. It now resides in the British Museum, where it has been since 1802.

See also

• Lists of mosques
• List of mosques in Africa
• List of mosques in Egypt