Al-Sibaiya Mosque and School

Al-Sibaiya Mosque and School

Overview:

• It was established by Prince "Sibai bin Bakhtaja", who was a prince of arms in "Egypt" and a representative of the Mamluk Sultanate in "the Levant", and a commander of the armed military force in "Cairo".

• The construction of the school and its mosque began in 914 AH / 1508 AD, and the building was completed in 921 AH, that is, in the sixteenth century AD.

• This school is located in the “Bab Al-Jabiyah” area in “Al-Kharteen” neighborhood and overlooks the “Medhat Pasha” market, and there is a mosque famous for its beautiful decorations and muqarnas that date back to the archaeological period for which the city of “Damascus” is famous, and it is one of the distinguished mosques in “Syria” ".

Historic overview:

• Some of the people of the Levant call it "the Kharateen Mosque", because Prince "Sibai" did not leave an abandoned mosque or a submerged cemetery in the city of "Damascus" except that he took from it stones, marbles and columns, and used in the building of the school all the columns of destroyed and collapsed mosques and deserted graves, as well as the marble of the "Khatounia" school was used to decorate the walls of the mosque's haram from the inside, prompting the people of "the Levant" and scholars to call it "the Mosque of the Mosques".

• It is currently known as "Mosque of Al-Sibaiya School".

The school is the last Mamluk school that was built in the Mamluk era in the city of "Damascus". It is located in the beginning of “Al-Kharateen” market, which was present in the past in that area, in reference to the wood-turning shops. Then the market disappeared and its name was also disappeared.

• Mosques in that era used to carry out teaching tasks besides being places of worship, such as the "Al-Adas" mosque, the "Hanbali" mosque, the "Yalbugha" mosque, and the "Tankiz" mosque, in addition to the "Al-Sibaiya" mosque, which is the most important of them.

• To this day, the Sibaiya School memorizes the Noble Qur’an and revives the honorable Sunnah, and the Qur’an memorization room has been in existence since those ages.

Architectural description:

• The Al-Sibiya School Mosque consists of a wide facade of more than 40 meters along the school's eastern side. It consists of two floors, and is built of black and white abalqi bricks.

• In the center is the school gate. In fact, like most of the gates built in the late "Mamluk" era, it is high in height, rich in beautiful muqarnas and decorated with mihrabs.

Resources:

Karl and Weltsinger in the volume of Islamic antiquities in "Damascus"

esyria.sy/edamascus website

naseemalsham website

dictionnaire website

Directorate of Endowments of Damascus

marefa website

alwehda foundation

flickr website

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