Mosque of Jezzar Pasha

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Entrance to the Mosque, with the sabil to the right of the steps.
Entrance to the Mosque, with the sabil to the right of the steps.

The Jezzar Pasha Mosque (Arabic: جامع جزار باشا‎) is located on al-Jezzar Street, inside the walls of the old city of Acre, overlooking the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The mosque is an excellent example of Ottoman architecture, which incorporated both Byzantine and Persian styles. Some of its fine features include the green dome and minaret, a green-domed sabil next to its steps (a kiosk for dispensing chilled drinking water and beverages), and a large courtyard.[1]

The mosque was the project of Acre's Ottoman governor in the late 18th century, Ahmed al-Jezzar (the butcher) Pasha, who was equally famous for his cruelty, impressive public works, and for defeating Napoleon at the siege of Acre in 1799. Jezzar Pasha ordered the mosque's construction in 1781 and had it completed within the year; it was built over a former church and other Crusader buildings. There is a tughra or monogram on a marble disc inside the gate, naming the ruling Sultan, his father and the legend "ever-victorious".

Adjacent to the mosque is a mausoleum and small graveyard containing the tombs of Jezzar Pasha and his successor, Suleiman Pasha, and their relatives.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Mosque of Ahmed Jezzar Pasha Ullian, Robert. Wiley Publishing
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