1300 years after the construction of the Allegiance Mosque by the Abbasid Caliph Abu Jaafar al-Mansur in the shrine of Mina in the Makkah Al-Mukarramah region, Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s project for the development of historical mosques came in its second phase to renew and rebuild it, in a step through which it seeks to strengthen the Islamic civilization of the Kingdom and restore life to Sites that had a historical and social impact in shaping their human, cultural and intellectual surroundings, and restoring the religious, cultural and social role of historical mosques through preserving them.
The Allegiance Mosque, which was built in the year 144 AH near Jamrat al-Aqaba in Mina, is one of the mosques targeted for development. Because of the importance it represents, it appears in his biography, as the mosque located in “Sha`b al-Ansar,” the place of allegiance that resulted in the migration of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, in Mina, is characterized by unique architectural characteristics, which depend on a set of artistic and contextual values in the field of architecture and construction.
The Prince Mohammed bin Salman project for the development of historical mosques is working on the restoration of the Al-Bayaa Mosque in the architectural style of the western region, on its basic area estimated at 457.56 square meters, and with a capacity to accommodate 68 worshipers at one time.
The building is characterized by the architectural style of the western region withstanding the surrounding natural conditions, while the historical mosques in it constitute architectural masterpieces that reflect an elaborate building culture consisting of molded bricks, gypsum and wood, as the mosques are characterized by the simplicity of the design of the facades.
The Allegiance Mosque is part of Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s project to develop historical mosques in its second phase, which included 30 mosques in all 13 regions of the Kingdom, six mosques in the Riyadh region, five mosques in the Makkah region, four mosques in the Medina region, and three mosques in the region. Asir, and two mosques in the eastern region, and the same in each of Al-Jawf and Jizan, and one mosque in each of the northern borders, Tabuk, Al-Baha, Najran, Hail, and Al-Qassim.
It is noteworthy that the launch of the second phase of the Historic Mosques Development Project came after the completion of the first phase, which included the rehabilitation and restoration of 30 historical mosques in 10 regions.
The project stems from four strategic objectives, summarized by rehabilitating historical mosques for worship and prayer, restoring the architectural authenticity of historical mosques, highlighting the civilizational dimension of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, strengthening the religious and cultural status of historical mosques, and contributing to highlighting the cultural and civilizational dimension of the Kingdom that Vision 2030 focuses on by preserving the characteristics Authentic urbanism and its use in developing the design of modern mosques.
Okaz (Riyadh)
