Site and urban network
by Stefan Knost
Courtyard, view from above [Picture source: © 2015 Julia Gonnella ] Courtyard, view from above [Picture source: © 2015 Julia Gonnella ] The Great Mosque is located at the heart of the Old City of Aleppo to the north of the main street of the covered historic market (suq), where it occupies a remarkably important central site. The area was the location of the agora – the main public square – in Hellenistic times, and then seemingly part of the forum – also functioning as public square – in Roman times.[1] Later on, parts of it were supposedly used as garden of the Byzantine Cathedral of Saint Helena[2], of which nowadays fragments are preserved inside the famous Islamic school al-Madrasa al-Halawiyya.
The Great Mosque is surrounded by the central market area from three sides: The prayer hall has a southern entrance leading to the Suq al-Hibal; the western entrance opens from the courtyard to the Suq al-Masamiriyya, facing the Madrasa al-Halawiyya; and the eastern entrance opens to the Suq Istanbul al-Jadid. The northern entrance leads to a adjacent garden park, whose underground became the new location of the Maktaba al-Waqfiyya (Endowment Library) in 2006. From the northern side, the Great Mosque parallels the modern Jamiʿ al-Umawi Street, which runs – as well as the covered historic market street at the south side of the building – eastwards straight towards the citadel hill.
Figure 2. Great Mosque, ground floor plan with location of important elements and inscriptions [Picture source: © 2011 Attilio Petruccioli, Giulia Annalinda Neglia – PoliBA, students L. Schepisi and V. Vurro, after Ernst Herzfeld] 
Figure 3. Great Mosque, prayer hall, Shrine of the Prophet Zakariya [Picture source: © 2009 Rami Alafandi] Original layout
Figure 4. Great Mosque, prayer hall, wooden pulpit (minbar) [Picture source: © 2011 Issam Hajjar] The basic outline of the building is unlikely to have changed much over the course of time; the original ground plan is considered to be a rectangular courtyard (sahn) surrounded on three sides with narrow arcade halls (sing. riwaq) plus a large rectangular prayer hall (haram) at its long side facing south towards Mecca (qibla).[3] In the present building the foundations of the Umayyad are not obvious, but solid archaeological research inside the mosque had not yet been made. As for the layout of the building, written sources from different times tell that a minaret existed, which was later replaced.[4]
Recent layout
Figure 5. Great Mosque, courtyard, horizontal sundial, northern arcade [Picture source: © 2011 Issam Hajjar] The Great Mosque’s large rectangular prayer hall (1800 m2)[5] contains four rows of 20 pillars each running parallel to its long side to form three aisles (see picture 2). Each ceiling compartment is made by cross vaults (see picture 3). The main nave, three bays long and perpendicular to the main prayer niche (mihrab) at the southern qibla wall, is slightly wider than the other naves; it is accentuated from the outside by the protruding main entrance in the courtyard facade and a dome in the middle of the flat roof. This may be reminiscent of the prominent transept nave of the prayer hall of the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus. A wooden internal balcony (sudda) is located above the main entrance. The arches of the courtyard facade are screened by wood and glass.
The prayer hall contains three prayer niches along the qibla wall: the main mihrab opposite the entrance portal, another one to the east, and one to the west. A khatib (orator) room lies to the right (west) side of the main niche. A wooden pulpit (minbar) used for sermons (sing. khutba) is standing next to it (see picture 4). The shrine room of the Prophet Zakariya – the father of the Prophet Yahya, or, in the Christian tradition, John the Baptist – lies to the left (east) of the main niche forming the front of the centrally positioned nave of the prayer hall (see picture 5). It is shielded by a copper screen and topped by a small dome.
The courtyard, adjacent along the northern side of the prayer hall having about twice its surface (3715 m2)[6], is paved with differing decorative fields of black, white and yellowish stone. It contains two domed ablutions fountains at the eastern part, a basalt column, a raised stone bench and a horizontal sundial at the western part, plus a vertical declining sundial on the northern arcade.[7]
The three surrounding arcades open onto the courtyard, their floors are raised. Pillars support cross vaults forming long, two-bay deep arcade halls in the north and east and a one-bay deep western arcade hall. An additional prayer hall, called “al-Hijaziyya”, is situated at the corner of the northern and eastern arcade. The place of the minaret lies at the west of the northern arcade.
The minaret
Figure 6. Great Mosque, minaret [Picture source: © 2011 Issam Hajjar] The minaret of the Great Mosque (see figure 6) was commissioned by the judge (qadi) of Aleppo during the rule of the Seljuk dynasty in Syria.[8] The beginning of its construction is indicated in the inscription at the base and the completion date is found at the top: 483 and 489 AH[9] / 1090 and 1096 AD. It existed until 2013.
The minaret is a square shape, its shaft is approximately 45 m high and made of limestone. On its upper edge, there is a cornice formed by two rows of flat arched niches lavishly adorned by floral elements. This is topped by an open wooden gallery for the muezzin (prayer caller) and a smaller dome.
Between the base and the top, the minaret is divided into four zones of varying height. Those are, except for the second one, decorated with blind arches formed by profiled mouldings each running uninterruptedly around the minaret’s shaft. Each zone is separated by friezes with calligraphic, artistically written, Arabic inscriptions. These exquisitely carved inscriptions are written in floriated Kufi – a script style distinguished by bold letters adorned with floral motifs – and in Naskhi script.
At the base of the minaret is the signature of the architect Hasan ibn Mufrih al-Sarmani[10] written inside a cartouche. The inscription from the minaret’s base (see picture 7) shows that the local Aleppine judge and the Seljuk governor shared power in the city, as their names are mentioned together:
إنما يعمر مساجد الله من أمن بالله واليوم الأخر وأقام الصلاة والزكاة
مما ابتدأ بإنشائه القاضي الأعلى ابن الخشاب محمد ابن محمد الخشاب رحمه الله
وأيام الأمين الأجل المظفر قسيم الدولة ونصير الملة أبي سعيد آق سنقر بك مولى أمير المؤمنين أعز الله أنصاره[11]
“The mosques of God are only to be maintained by those who believe in God and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakat [(alm-tax); Quran 9:18].
It was started to be built by the High Judge Ibn al-Khashshab Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Khashshab, may God have mercy on him.
In the days of al-Amin al-ʿAjal al-Muzaffar Qasim al-Dawla wa-Nasir al-Mila Abi Saʿid Aqsunqur Bak, the slave of the Amir al-Muʾminin, may God enhance his supporters”.[12]
The upper inscriptions indicate the names of the then-ruling Seljuk sultans Malikshah I and Tutush, and of Barakat ibn Faris, commander of the urban militia.[13]
