Hassan Bek Mosque, Ottoman mosque in Manshiah district, Tel Aviv, Israel

Hassan Bek Mosque is an Ottoman-style mosque on Ha'Yarkon Street in Tel Aviv, between Neve Tzedek and the Mediterranean. It is built of white limestone rather than the local kurkar, with narrow engaged piers dividing the facades and colourfully glazed windows. A flat concrete roof carries a shallow dome over the central bay, and the slender minaret rises beside the square prayer hall.

Hassan Bek, Jaffa's Ottoman governor from 1914 to 1916, ordered the mosque and chose its site to block Tel Aviv's westward growth. Construction began in 1916, was interrupted by World War I, and was completed in 1923 under the Supreme Muslim Council. The minaret collapsed in 1983 and was rebuilt in the 1980s with Jordanian and Saudi funding, reaching about twice its original height.

The mosque is an active place of prayer for Muslims from Jaffa, and you can see worshippers arriving at different times of day. Its presence in this part of Tel Aviv makes it a visible sign of the Arab community that has long been part of this city.

The mosque is easy to reach on foot from the beachfront, and the area around it is part of a walkable stretch along the coast. If you want to look inside, it is best to go outside of prayer times and to wear clothing that covers your shoulders and knees.

The minaret collapsed in 1983, and the rebuilt tower rose to nearly twice its original height, exceeding the construction permit granted for its restoration. The mosque's Ottoman-era walls use white limestone rather than the local yellow-brown kurkar sandstone.