The Al-Fattahi Zawiya in Latakia
A Mamluk Sufi lodge from 1291 in Latakia’s al-Saliba quarter, with an octagonal stone minaret added in 1746 and a newer mosque of the same name next door.
- Opening hours
- Not verified — check current status and hours on site
- Entry
- Varies — check at the entrance
- Duration
- 15 minutes
- Best time
- Outside prayer times; the interior is not suited to visits during prayers
- Period
- Mamluk — Ottoman
- Address
- Al-Saliba quarter, next to the new Al-Fattahi Mosque, Latakia
A Mamluk zawiya in Latakia’s al-Saliba quarter, built in AH 690, or 1291. A zawiya is a small Sufi lodge, and this one was used for dhikr, the repeated remembrance of God, and for spiritual retreat. It is also known as the Zawiya of Sheikh Abd al-Fattah al-Khalwati. In 1941 (AH 1360) it became a mosque under the religious endowments directorate. Right next to it stands the newer Al-Fattahi Mosque, built by Abd al-Wahhab ibn Sheikh Abd al-Rahman Fattahi.
What to see
The zawiya is a small rectangle. You enter through a small door on the north side with an arch above it; to its east is a second, larger door.
At first the building had no minaret. Muhammad Agha ibn Lutfi added the octagonal stone minaret in AH 1159, or 1746. Arabic sources call its design unique.
Is this the zawiya Ibn Battuta mentioned
The researcher Mudar Kanaan identifies the building with the zawiya of Ala al-Din ibn al-Baha that the Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta describes in Latakia. The match is not certain, and no other source confirms it.
Is it open today
Not verified. We found no recent source specific to this building showing that it is open for prayer or to visitors. Hours and access need to be checked on site. The location could not be confirmed by two independent sources either, so the page has no map.
How long it takes
Fifteen minutes. It fits into a short walk with the Al-Mashati and Al-Saliba mosques in the same quarter.
What most people miss
The small marble inscription above the door on the east face of the minaret. It gives the minaret’s date and the name of the man who built it, and shows that the minaret came roughly four and a half centuries after the zawiya.
Tips
- The marble inscription above the door on the east face of the minaret gives the date 1746
- The zawiya is entered through the small arched door on the north; do not confuse it with the larger door to its east
- The new Al-Fattahi Mosque next door is a separate building; the historic one is the small zawiya
- Ask locally whether it is open before you go; the building's current status is not verified
Transparency
- How this was chosen
- Written by hand; opening hours, entry fee and coordinates are kept as data. A field that is not known for certain is marked as variable rather than guessed.
- Facts checked
- September 2026
- Last updated
- September 15, 2026