Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque, Medieval mosque in Old City of Hebron, Palestine.
Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque stands in the Harat ash-Sheikh quarter of Hebron's Old City. Its Mamluk minaret rests on a rectangular base and rises as a hexagonal shaft, with an arched corridor at its base leading into the courtyard. A modern mosque built in 1978 occupies the site alongside the surviving minaret.
The structure was founded in 1282 under Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun by Husam ad-Din Turuntay, who served as the sultan's representative in Jerusalem. Its minaret, built by Sayf al-Din Salar before 1310, reflects the architectural language of the Mamluk period.
The mosque is named after Sheikh Ali al-Bakka, a Sufi from the Caucasus who settled in Hebron, married there and died in 1271. His name, meaning "the weeping one", refers to his frequent weeping out of humility before God. The site began as his zawiya, a Sufi lodge, before becoming a mosque.
The mosque stands in the Harat ash-Sheikh quarter, about 1.5 km north of the Ibrahimi Mosque, so it is reached on foot through the Old City lanes. The minaret's arched base corridor leads into the courtyard. The modern building added in the 1980s surrounds the prayer area with rooms for Quran study, fiqh, a medical clinic and a library.
The building today blends medieval sections with modern additions built in 1978 to keep the mosque in active use. This combination allows visitors to see how older structures are adapted for contemporary worship.
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