52. Ba‘ūn | باعون

‘Ajlūn Governorate

Masjid

JADIS no. 2119008

MEGA no. 10411

Coordinates: : 32°23'04.2"N 35°43'43.0"E

32.384500, 35.728611

Plan: square (al-Qawqanah); according to the photo by A. Khammash (1984) the interior was divided into two (?) naves with cross vaulted bays.

Measurements: unknown.

Exterior: unknown.

Interior: unknown.

Building Materials: local limestone. A Roman milestone fragment was reused as a column support of the cross vaulted ceiling. It is preserved at a neighboring grocery shop; for other spolia see traveler report and fig. 52.1. Construction details: unknown.

Preservation: The old mosque has been entirely destroyed during the construction of the new building in 2012.

Inscription(s): Roman milestone, allegedly reused in the old mosque with Latin inscription:

AUG(ustus )[Pius? pontifex max(imus)] TRIB(uniciae) POT(estatis) XVI CO(n)S(ul) III ET IMP(erator) Caesar L(ucius)] AURELIUS [Verus Augustus) tr]ib(uniciae) potest(atis) II TRIB(unitia) POT(estas)].... According to Dalman (1908), the missing lower part of the same milestone had been found to the N of the village Ba‘ūn (not relocated today): CO(n)S(ul) DIVI ANTO[nini] FILI DIVI HADRIANI NEPOTE[s] DIVI TRAI[ani] [P]ARTICI PRONEPO[tes] DIVI NERVAE AB NE[p]O[tes] X Ł The imperial titles suggest the year 162 AD as date of the milestone. It marked the 10th mile of the Roman road from Pella to Gerasa (counted from Pella). Date(s): Uncertain (of the mosque); according to the assumed ground plan similar to the Rēmūn mosque (see no. 306) probably Ayyubid-Mamluk in origin.

Traveler Reports: “La moschea locale è un’edificio moderno, ma secondo che dicono gli abitanti sarebbe costruita sul posto dell’antica moschea che risalitrebbe ai primi tempi dell’islamismo, ciò che non sembra privo difendamento per i resti osservati. All’ingresso del cortile due colonne, forse appartenenti all’antico edficio, potevano essere usate nella fasciata, o furono forse riusate da qualche altro edificio preestistente. Nel muro della moschea si nota una pietra con segnizig-zag certo anch’’ essa riusata, ed un altra con segni di piccoli buchi per giuoco.” (Augustinović - Bagatti 1951- 1952).

Bibliography: Dalman 1908, 268-271; Augustinović - Bagatti 1951-1952, 293; Mittmann 1970, 69 no. 164; Daire 1988, 51 s.v. Ba‘ūn; MMU IV, 268 no. 9 (H. & O. M. al-Qawqanah);322 (A. M. Qudah); for the Roman milestone see Dalman 1908, 270; Thomsen 1917, 66 no. XXV, 222.