33. ‘Ammān | عمّان

al-Maḥatta, former Camp of the Arab Le- gion (‘Ammān Governorate)
Masjid al-Fatḥ
JADIS no. none

MEGA no. none
Coordinates: 31°58'12.9"N 35°58'00.9"E

31.970256, 35.966903

Plan: free standing square with entrance in the N and miḥrāb in S walls; two cylindrical minarets at the cor- ners of the N façade (fig. 33.6), in neo-Ottoman style. Opposite of the N side is a free standing madrasa.

Measurements: unknown.

Exterior: unknown.

Interior: unknown.

Building Materials: local limestone.

Construction details: well dressed limestone blocks. The prayer hall is covered by a semiglobular concrete dome.

Preservation: intact, used for Muslim prayer.

Inscription(s): above the entrance white marble slab with an Arabic inscription in three lines: 

Translation: “This mosque has been established by the commander of the Arab army in the year H 1353 / 1933 AD” (NAt).

Date(s): In 1933 the construction of this mosque was or- dered by the Arab Legion Commander – Frederick Peake Pasha, and probably materialized through the Pu- blic Works Department (PWD) by an Istanbul educated engineer or by an engineer from the Hijaz Railway, as this was the procedure of building the az-Zarqā’ camp and the initial design for the CBR residence. The hole compound has been recently renovated. 

Traveler Reports: None known.
Bibliography: Shawash 2003, 79-83; Rjoub 2016, fig. 5; Almudarra et alii 2018, 106; Haroub 2019, 38-41.

Fig. 33.1Ground plan of the mosque with the adjacent school building (Shawash 2003, 81 fig. 3.3).

Fig. 33.2 Sketch elevation of the mosque with the adjacent school building (Shawash 2003, 81 fig 3.3).

Fig. 33.3 General exterior view from SE (TMW-K 2017).