Al-Shamah Mosque

The Al-Sham'ah Mosque, also known as the Bab ad-Darum Mosque, is a mosque located in Hayy al-Najjarin of the al-Zaytun Quarter in the Old [City of Gaza|Old City] of Gaza, in the State of Palestine. The mosque was built on 8 March 1315 by the Mamluk Governor of Gaza, Sanjar al-Jawli.

Overview

Its name Sham'ah translates as "Candle," although the origin of the name is unknown.
The inscription on the mosque which states its endowment by al-Jawli and the reigning Mamluk sultan at the time, al-Nasir Muhammad, originally belonged to a mosque al-Jawli built previously. That mosque was destroyed in 1799, during Napoleon's invasion of Gaza. Its stones were then used for other edifices in Gaza while its inscription was attached to the al-Sham'ah Mosque. Since its construction in the 14th-century, al-Sham'ah Mosque has gone through numerous repairs and restorations.
In 1355 it was visited by Ibn Batutah who made the following note: "Gaza had a beautiful Friday mosque, but these days Friday service is conducted in the mosque built by the amir al-Jawli. It is an elegant building, strongly constructed and its pulpit is from white marble." 15th-century Islamic scholar al-Sakhawi mentions that Khatib Yusuf al-Ghazzi was the imam of the mosque in 1440–41.
The mosque does not have a minaret.