Publication Date
81-979 / 1574-2/1571
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;sy;Mon01;22;ar
Library Location
Damascus, Syria
Date
81-979 / 1574-2/1571
Notes
Connected to the Drawishiya Mosque is a dome that was added after the death of the founder in 987/1579. The mosque and the dome are separated by a small alley. The problem of connection between the two buildings was solved by a covered corridor or (Sbat). The mosque is rectangular in shape, 30 meters long and about 20 meters wide on the southern side and 16 meters on the northern side. This deviation in shape is due to the distance along the adjacent road. The entrance, located on the eastern side, leads to a small heavenly space with a lake. The prayer sanctuary is covered by a large central dome, and three small domes on either side, and the corridor in front of it is covered by five domes. The interior walls are decorated with reused classical materials, such as veneered marble, and the two columns with their four Corinthian capitals surround the mihrab. It seems that the architect tried to collect precious ancient pieces before moving on to using the tile decorations that cover the facade of the prayer hall and some parts of the interior walls. Like other early Ottoman mosques in Ashqani, the faience was manufactured locally, according to the Iznik style, with a great variety of shapes, colours, sizes and decorations. In addition to the main decorative patterns known in Anatolia, such as medallions containing bunches of grapes, it is noted that there is a piece of distinctive tile on the wall of the portico in the form of a prayer rug and a mosque lamp, which is a unique piece that has no relation to any other tile produced in Damascus. From the early Islamic period until the beginning of the Ottoman period, it was the main mosque that imposed the architectural plan for mosques, such as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, for example. The Darwishi Mosque is considered an early example of the diversity of Ottoman mosque plans, with a prayer hall covered by a dome preceded by a portico. It shows a mixture of Ottoman features and local decorative details, such as the use of the multi-colored Syrian ablaq style in building the façade, and decorations made of colored stone paste. The faience inside also shows local characteristics in colors and decorative patterns. The influence of local architecture is clearly visible in the prayer hall, as the high galleries on both sides of the hall are divided into lower galleries, in contrast to the high style of architecture in Istanbul. The Darwishi Mosque is one of the many buildings built in the second half of the first century of Ottoman rule (sixteenth century). He identified the beginning of the Hajj Trail, which is located on the long trade and pilgrimage route that connects Syria with the Mediterranean through the mountains of Lebanon, and which passes from Aleppo to Damascus towards the Hijaz. Since the Mamluk period, this region has developed and has become predominantly religious due to the spiritual influence of the Hajj. Since ensuring security on the Hajj route was evidence of the legitimacy of authority, this place was the most appropriate location to demonstrate Ottoman political control by using Ottoman features such as minarets in the shape of pencils and multiple domes.
Sample Text
Verena Daiber “Darwishi Mosque” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;sy;Mon01;22;ar
