The Abu’l-Fida Mosque

The building on the bank of the Orontes is both a mosque and a grave. Abu’l-Fida ruled Hama at the start of the 14th century. He also wrote the geography and the history that were copied more than any others of his time. He had the mausoleum built in 1327, died four years later and was buried in it.

Getting there

In central Hama, on the riverbank. It stands on the same stretch of shore as the Nur al-Din Mosque and the norias; the distance between them is about half a kilometre and it is a walk.

What is there

The courtyard is small and two of the four original gates survive. The north gate is Ayyubid work and opens straight into the mausoleum: limestone walls, a brick dome. The minaret beside it is limestone too, with courses of black basalt run through it. Both mausoleum and minaret stand in their original state. The prayer hall is south of the courtyard and is mostly Mamluk; its south façade looks directly onto the river.

What most people miss

Look at the column between the two windows on the south façade. It is carved as two snakes wound around each other, and that is why people in Hama call the building Jami al-Hayyat, the mosque of the serpents.