Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque

Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque
Basic information
Location	Harat ash-Sheikh, Old City, Hebron
Affiliation	Islam
District	Hebron Governorate
Province	West Bank
Region	Levant
Status	Active
Architectural description
Architectural type	Mosque
Architectural style	Mamluk
Completed	1282
Minaret(s)	1

Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque (also spelled Shaykh Ali al-Baka Mosque) is a 13th-century mosque in the northwestern section of the Old City of Hebron in the southern West Bank. It is situated in the Harat ash-Sheikh (or Sheik Ali al-Bakka) quarter, one of the Old City's four quarters, which is named after the mosque.^[1]

The mosque was founded by the Husam ad-Din Turuntay in 1282 during the reign of Mamluk sultan al-Mansur Qalawun. Turuntay was the representative of the sultan in Jerusalem. The sanctuary is named after Sheikh Ali al-Bakka, a renowned Sufi religious leader from Iraq who lived in Hebron.^[2]

The original mosque was mostly demolished, however the minaret still stands and is viewed as an exemplary work of Mamluk architecture. Sitting on a rectangular base, its shaft has a hexagonal shape. The minaret base has an arched corridor which leads to the courtyard. In 1978 a new mosque was built on the site, but preserved the remains of the original mosque.^[2]

References

1. Wilson, p.195.
2. Dandis, Wala. History of Hebron. 2011-11-07. Retrieved on 2012-03-02.