AlKhulafa Mosque, Historical mosque in central Baghdad, Iraq
Al-Khulafa Mosque is a brick mosque on Jumhuriya Street in Baghdad's al-Rusafa district. Its modern prayer hall is octagonal, covered by a yellow-ochre dome about seven metres high decorated with Kufic calligraphy, and reached through three arcades. The Ilkhanid-era minaret, built of patterned brick, stands beside the hall, and a library occupies the upper floor.
The mosque was built in the early 900s under Caliph Al-Muktafi and served as one of Baghdad's main Friday prayer venues during the Abbasid era. The minaret remains the only surviving structure from that original building period.
The minaret displays the brick patterns and carved details typical of the Abbasid period, showing how craftspeople approached their work at that time. Visitors walking around it can see the geometric designs that were important to builders of that era.
The mosque stands on Jumhuriya Street in the Shorja area of al-Rusafa, across the street from the Latin Cathedral of St. Joseph. The historic minaret leans eastward because of groundwater seepage beneath its base, so it is viewed from the courtyard rather than climbed. The modern prayer hall, rebuilt in the 1960s, is entered through three arcades.
The minaret leans east because groundwater seeps beneath its base, and Baghdad residents call it "al-Ahdab", the hunchback. Inside, two staircases rise to the balcony without meeting, each with its own door at the bottom and top. The 1960s rebuild by architect Mohamed Makiya kept the Ilkhanid brick tower as the focal point.
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