Mosque Name: Anjar Palace Mosque
Country: Lebanon
City: Anjar
Year of construction (AH): 95 AH
Year of construction (AD): 714 AD
GPS: 33°43’55.23”N 35°56’1.79”E
ArchNet: http://archnet.org/sites/3711
Gibson Classification: Petra
Rebuilt facing Mecca: never
For a Link to the Qibla Tool Click Here
Description:
The Anjar Mosque is located 58 kilometers from Beirut, just a short distance from the Litani River. Anjar is the only exclusively Umayyad site in Lebanon. Its name originates from the term “’Ayn Gerrah” which means “the source of Gerrah” in Arabic, referring to an ancient fortress in the region. Commissioned by the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid, son of ’Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in the early 8th century, it prospered as a trading city, situated strategically at the crossroad of the north-south and east-west trade routes. However, by the conclusion of Umayyad political domination, no more than thirty years later, Anjar fell rapidly into disrepair and eventually was abandoned. Historically, it remains unique as the only inland commercial center in Lebanon. The entire complex including the palace and mosque are built with an orientation pointing towards Petra.
Dan Gibson goes into more detail on Anjar in his book Early Islamic Qiblas under the chapter on Obtaining Qibla Calculations.
<
Anjar from the air.
<
Anjar City Plan (in French)
<
References:
Finster, Barbara, 2003. “Researches in ‘Anjar. I. Preliminary Report on the Architecture of ‘Anjar”, BAAL 7: 209-244.
Chehab, Hafez K., 1993. “On the Identification of ʿAnjar (ʿAyn al-Jarr) as an Umayyad Foundation”, Muqarnas 10, Essays in Honor of Oleg Grabar: 42-48.
Ory, Solange, 1967. “Les graffitis omeyyades de ʿAyn al-Garr”, Bulletin du Musie de Beyrouth 20: 97-148.
<
Page Discussion
Membership is required to comment. Membership is free of charge and available to everyone over the age of 16. Just click SignUp, or make a comment below. You will need a user name and a password. The system will automatically send a code to your email address. It should arrive in a few minutes. Enter the code, and you are finished.
Members who post adverts or use inappropriate language or make disrespectful comments will have their membership removed and be barred from the site. By becoming a member you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy, Cookies & Ad Policies. Remember that we will never, under any circumstances, sell or give your email address or private information to anyone unless required by law. Please keep your comments on topic. Thanks!