The al-Izzi Mosque, Hama

The al-Izzi Mosque is a small Mamluk mosque in the Bab al-Jisr quarter of Hama, just north of the citadel mound. Muhammad ibn Hamza al-Izzi had it built in the Hijri year 723, which is 1323. The mosque once held many endowments. The Kültür Envanteri, a Turkish heritage inventory, listed it as abandoned in 2026, and whether it can be entered is not known.

Where it is

The mosque sits at the northern foot of the citadel mound. The Abu al-Fida Mosque is very close, and the two fit into a single walk. Bab al-Jisr is also the quarter where the Sufi scholar Sheikh Alwan al-Hamawi was born in 1468.

The only trace of the madrasa

Four years later, in the Hijri year 727 (1326-1327), al-Izzi built a large madrasa, a religious college, east of the mosque. The madrasa is gone. All that is left of it is an inscription on the mosque wall. It records that Muhammad ibn Hamza al-Izzi built this madrasa in the months of the year 727.

What to see

A photograph taken in 2015 shows the building standing: a façade of dressed stone, a green double door set in an arched frame, and above it a calligraphic plaque with the mosque’s name. A ribbed dome with small windows rises behind the façade.

Why the date is disputed

The Kültür Envanteri gives the early 14th century, 1323, a date that fits the madrasa inscription. The English Wikipedia article on Hama places the mosque in the 15th century. Because the inscription of 727 names the same founder, the 14th-century date is the stronger one.