Uwais al-Qarni Mosque
Uwais al-Qarani Mosque (Arabic: مَسْجِد أُوَيْس ٱلْقَرَنِيّ, romanized: Masjid 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
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]