Zaghloul Mosque
Mosque in Rosetta, Egypt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mosque of Zaghloul (Arabic: مسجد زغلول, romanized: masjid zaghlūl), also known as the Zaghloul Mosque, is a mosque in Rosetta, in the Beheira Governorate of Egypt. It is named after its founder, a Mamluk named Zaghloul, who is buried inside.[1] It is the oldest mosque in Rosetta,[2] as well as its largest.[3]
| Mosque of Zaghloul | |
|---|---|
مسجد زغلول | |
| |
  Location of the mosque in the Nile Delta | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Mosque | |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Rosetta, Beheira Governorate |
| Country | Egypt |
 Interactive map of Mosque of Zaghloul | |
| Coordinates | 31°23′56″N 30°25′17″E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque |
| Style | |
| Completed | 1587 |
| Specifications | |
| Dome | Many |
| Minaret | 1 |
| Site area | 5,300 m2 (57,000 sq ft) |
History
The mosque was built in 1587 by Zaghloul, a Mamluk who was owned by a prince named Sayyid Harun.[4] Like many mosques at the time, it was a center of science, religion, and national movements, which made it influence the events of the city during this period.[5] The mosque was catalyst for popular resistance against the French campaign in Egypt in 1801,[6] and also had an important role in the battle of Rashid during the Alexandria expedition of 1807.[7] As the British army invaded Rosetta from Alexandria, the 700-man garrison in Rosetta awaited a signal to attack the incoming British soldiers,[8] when the muezzin (the caller to prayer), under the orders of the governor of Rosetta Ali Bey Al-Selaniki and Sheikh Hassan Crete, chanted from the minaret of the mosque: 'Allah Akbar! (God is great) For jihad!',[9] which alerted the garrison that now was the time to strike. Rashid's garrison fire broke out from all over the city, and the battle ended with the British defeated.[10]
The mosque has been renovated several times, the latest of which was in 2015.[11]
Architecture
The mosque is approximately 5,300 square metres (57,000 sq ft),[12] and is divided into two sections which are separated by a brick wall: the western section,[13] which contains an open-air courtyard and marble columns, and the eastern section.[14] The mosque is adorned with two mihrabs: one in the eastern section, semi-circular and decorated with carved brick, and the other in the western section, featuring a pointed arch.[15] Additionally, there is a wooden minbar.[16] The mosque measures 90 metres (300 ft) long and 48 metres (157 ft) wide.[17] It contains 99 columns made of marble,[18] and displays a vast number of small domes in the Ottoman style.[19]
