History of the Building and Patron

[Picture source: © 2007 Stefan Weber]

Figure 1: Inscriptions on the Northern portal [Picture source: © 2007 Stefan Knost]

Figure 2: Inscriptions on the minaret [Picture source: © 2007 Stefan Weber]

The mosque commonly known as al-Jamiʿ ar-Rumi[1] is praised by Mamluk historians for its cylindrical minaret and marble decoration,[2] of which parts remain until today and which still give an impression of its lavish furnishing in Mamluk times.

The construction date of the mosque can be established by inscriptions and written sources. However, they give contradictory dates. Furthermore, the architecture of the mosque has been substantially altered over time.

The mosque was commissioned by a patron referred to as Saif ad-Din Abu ʿAbd ar-Raḥim Mankalibugha al-Ashrafī in an inscription on the portal (Fig. 1).[3] Three further inscriptions on the base of the minaret mention the name Mankalibugha ash-Shamsi (Fig. 2)[4], for which reason the mosque is also known as the mosque of Mankalibugha[5] or the mosque of Mankalibugha ash-Shamsi.[6]

The inscription on the portal also mentions that Mankalibugha was governor of Aleppo when he founded the mosque. It furthermore commemorates his victory over the Franks in Ayās (Laiazzo, Yumurtalik) in Southern Turkey, on 1. Ṣafar 769/27.9.1367[7] and that he was currently atabak of the victorious armies of the Egyptian territories,[8] which was the case after 769/1367-1368.[9] Because of his positions as governor of Aleppo and atabak al-asakir, Mankalibugha ash-Shamsi can be seen to have been a very successful amir and therefore a member of the highest stratum of the Mamluk society. This brought him substantial wealth to construct the mosque and other buildings in Syria.[10]

Written sources give different construction dates of the mosque: Ibn Taghribirdi mentions that the mosque was finished in 764/1362-63.[11] This date corresponds with Mankalibugha ash-Shamsi’s first term in office as governor of Aleppo from Shawwal 762/4.8.-1.9.1361 - Ramaḍan 764/14.6.-13.7.1363.[12]

In contrast, Ibn al-ʿAjami argues that construction began in 767/1365-66[13] and was finished in 768/1366-67[14] and that the mosque was constructed in Mankalibugha ash-Shamsi’s second term in office[15], i.e. between Ṣafar 768/7.10.-4.11.1366 - 769/1367-68.[16] Ibn ash-Shiḥna in turn states that the mosque was constructed in 778/1376-1377.[17]

Putting these different pieces of information together, one can record that Mankalibugha ash-Shamsi constructed the mosque after his victory over the Franks in 769/1367 in his second term of office in Aleppo (Ṣafar 768/7.10.-4.11.1366 - 769/1367) and continued to do so in his term as atabak al-asakir (only after 769/1367-1368)[18]. Thus, a construction date in the late 1360/beginning 1370 can be assumed.[19] For some reason Ibn ash-Shiḥna's date widely deviates from most of written sources and the inscription.[20]

Several further building actions on this mosque are recorded in written sources and inscriptions for the Mamluk and following periods (cf. building description).