Nizamiyya of Mosul
Islamic instutition located in Mosul, Iraq
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nizamiyya Madrasa (Arabic: مدرسة نظامية), later known as the Shrine of Imam Ali al-Asghar, is a madrasa located northwest of the Great Mosque in Mosul, Iraq. It was built in the 11th century on the orders of Nizam al-Mulk, the vizier of the Seljuk rulers Alp Arslan and Malik Shah. During the Atabeg period in the 13th century, the madrasa was converted into a shrine by the emir of Mosul, Badr ad-Din Lu'lu.
| Nizamiyya Madrasa | |
|---|---|
A 1932 photograph of the madrasa, with the "al-Hadba" minaret in the background. | |
 Interactive map of Nizamiyya Madrasa | |
| 36°20′37″N 43°07′34″E | |
| Type | Madrasa (Nizamiyya-type) |
| Location | Mosul, Iraq |
| History | |
| Built | 11th century |
| Site notes | |
Architectural style | Seljuk architecture |
History
Nizam al-Mulk, vizier of the Seljuk rulers Alp Arslan and Malik Shah, established several Islamic schools throughout Iraq, Persia and Khorasan; these schools became known as the Nizamiyya series.[1] The school in Mosul was built towards the end of the 11th century and was situated northwest of the Great Mosque, which was the largest Islamic establishment in the city.[2][3] During the Atabeg period, Badr ad-Din Lu'lu (r. 1234–1259) reconstructed the madrasa and converted one of its rooms into a shrine and tomb for a patron saint, Imam Ali al-Asghar.[4] This was merely done as part of a 13th-century campaign to promote Shi'ism by Badr ad-Din Lu'lu, and no actual human remains lie in the supposed tomb.[4][5][6] During the Jalayirid period, the madrasa was extensively renovated in 1330.[4] After the Timurids entered Mosul, the identity of the shrine changed from Ali al-Asghar to an unspecified Shaykh al-Nuri, who was implied to have been a relative or descendant of Nur ad-Din Zangi, although this change was later reverted.[7] In 1942, the madrasa was dismantled along with the Great Mosque next to it and rebuilt from the ground up in a restoration programme.[8]
The Nizamiyya Madrasa was destroyed by the terrorist group Dawlah after their takeover of Mosul in 2014 and was used as a carpark.[9][10] The madrasa was rebuilt in 2024 as part of the reconstruction of the adjacent Great Mosque, although the shrine for Imam Ali al-Asghar is not visible anymore, probably due to the fact that it is an empty tomb.[11][12]
Architecture
The madrasa is of a rectangular layout and plan, with a prayer hall and a courtyard in front. In the madrasa, the central chamber is the school building which contains the classrooms and administrative offices.[4] Two rooms at the end of this chamber contain tombs; one of them is a domed chamber containing the wooden shrine of Imam Ali al-Asghar, while the second room contains a tomb to an unknown personage, in the form of a sanduga made out of dark marble.[4] The identity of the entombed is unknown, but is commonly attributed to Badr ad-Din Lu'lu himself.[13] Various decorative tiles line the interior of the building, as well as muqarnas at the main inner entrance.[4]