The al-Naqah Mosque or Naga Mosque (Arabic: الجامع الناقة, lit. 'mosque of the [female] camel') is a historic mosque in Tripoli, Libya.
History
The history of the mosque is not well-documented and it's not entirely certain when it was founded or when all of its multiple restorations took place.[1][2] It is believed to be the oldest Islamic-era monument in Tripoli.[3][2] It was most likely first built in 973 on the orders of the Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz, who stayed in the city around this time during his journey to move the Fatimid court from Ifriqiya to Egypt.[3][4]
Two similar apocryphal stories are associated with the mosque and purport to explain its name (al-Naqah, meaning a "female camel"). One recounts that when Amr ibn al-As captured Tripoli during the Muslim conquest of North Africa in the 7th century, the people of the city offered him a female camel laden with riches to persuade him to grant them amnesty. He refused the gift and instead told them to build this mosque with the funds it provided.[2] The other version says that it was the Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz who gifted the city's people with a female camel laden with gold, in return for their generosity in welcoming him. The people then used the gold to fund the construction of the mosque.[2]
The mosque was badly damaged or destroyed during the Spanish occupation of Tripoli in the 16th century.[4] An inscription records that it was reconstructed in 1610–1611 (1019 AH)[1] by the Ottoman-era governor Safar Dey.[4]
The mosque's layout is somewhat irregular, suggesting multiple modifications throughout its history.[3] The floor plan is roughly rectangular: the southeast wall (corresponding to the qibla or direction of prayer) is 44.24 m (145.1 ft) long, the northeast wall is 19.35 m (63.5 ft) long, the southwest wall is approximately 20.3 m (67 ft) long, and the northwest wall is approximately 39.4 m (129 ft) long.[2] The floor level of the mosque is now 0.4 m (1 ft 4 in) below the level of the present-day city streets.[2] The building is divided between a roughly square courtyard (sahn) section and a hypostyle prayer hall.[2][1]
The prayer hall is divided by rows of columns into seven aisles running parallel with the qibla (southeast) wall. The qibla wall in this section measures 20.1 m (66 ft), while the northwest and northeast walls of this section measure 18.1 m (59 ft) each.[2] The 36 columns of the hall include re-used Roman and Byzantine columns of marble and granite, as well as Roman capitals.[1][2] Except for the slightly smaller aisle on the northwest edge of the hall, which is covered by a vault, each aisle of the hall is covered by 7 domes, for a total of 42 domes.[2]
The mihrab of the mosque is roughly in the middle of the qibla wall. Its orientation is slightly further east from the rest of the mosque due to a later restoration aiming to correct its qibla alignment. It is decorated with the image of a flower and an Arabic inscription stating the Shahada ("There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.") A wooden minbar stands next to it today. In an arched niche behind it is a stone which might have been part of an older minbar.[2]
Gallery around the mosque's courtyard
The courtyard of the mosque is surrounded on all four sides by a covered gallery supported on columns. On the qibla side, the gallery is two aisles deep, while on the other sides it is only one aisle, each one approximately 3 m (9.8 ft) wide. Two of the galleries, on the southwest and northwest, have flat roofs dating from more recent restorations, while the other two are covered by cross-vaults.[2]
The minaret, attached to the outside of the mosque, is a cuboid tower with a 5.6 m2 (60 sq ft) base.[2]
^ abcdefghijklmWarfelli, Muhammad (1976). "The Old City of Tripoli". Some Islamic Sites in Libya: Tripoli, Ajdabiyah and Ujlah. Art and Archeology Research Papers. Department of Antiquities, Tripoli. pp. 5–7.
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