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Uwais al-Qarni Mosque

Uwais al-Qarani Mosque (Arabic: مَسْجِد أُوَيْس ٱلْقَرَنِيّ, romanizedMasjid ʾUways al-Qaranīy) was a Twelver Shi'a mosque in Raqqa, Syria, until it was demolished by the Islamic State on May 31, 2014. It is currently awaiting reconstruction.

Uwais al-Qarani Mosque
مَسْجِد أُوَيْس ٱلْقَرَنِيّ

Destroyed

2003

2014

History[edit]

Dedication[edit]

It contained the shrines of Ammar ibn Yasir and Owais al-Qarani, who died in the Battle of Siffin in 657, which took place around 40 km (25 mi) west of Raqqa. It was adjacent to the Bab al-Baghdad, another major landmark in the city.[1][2]

Construction[edit]

The original tombs were located in the old cemetery at the edge of the city. In 1988, Syrian president Hafez al-Assad and the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini, initiated a project to develop a new mosque around the tombs. The work was completed in 2003 and a commemorative plaque credited President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami with completing the project.[3]

Destruction[edit]

In June 2013, rebel fighters from al-Muntasereen Billah militia were living in the mosque complex.[4] On March 26, 2014, the mosque was blown up by two powerful explosions and completely destroyed by the Islamic State because it was a Shi'a structure. More specifically, it was also built over graves and thus served as a shrine.[5][6][7][8]

Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia

Sayyidah Zainab Mosque, Damascus