Abu'l-Fida Mosque

The Abu'l-Fida Mosque is a mosque and mausoleum in Hama, Syria, located on the banks of the Orontes river. The mausoleum was erected by al-Mu’ayyid Isma’il in 1327 CE, during the Ayyubid-era; and the mosque dates from the Mamluk era.

Ovwerview

Adjacent to the mosque complex was a large walled garden. The complex comprises a small central sahn with two of the original four gates extant. The north gate dates from the Ayyubid period and leads into the courtyard and the Mausoleum of al-Mu’ayyid. Made of limestone with a domed brick roof, the mausoleum was completed in the Ayyubid style. An attached limestone minaret was completed in contrasting black-basalt with limestone. Both the mausoleum and the minaret are in their original states.
The haram, or sacred space, of the mosque is located to the south of the sahn. Most of what survives dates to the Mamluk period, with its south-facing façade overlooking the River Orontes. The mosque’s two windows are decorated with a central pillar carved in the shape of intertwined snakes; for this reason the mosque is known colloquially as Jami’ al-Hayyat, or the “Mosque of the Serpents”.