The Al-Uwayna Mosque in Latakia

A neighbourhood mosque in the Uwayna quarter of Latakia, built in 1727 by Sulayman Pasha al-Azm, governor of Tripoli. The same governor built the Al-Jadid Mosque a few streets away that same year, and the two share a good deal: clay jars set into the dome, tulip motifs, a door that tells the time by shadow. Al-Uwayna is the smaller of the two and sees fewer visitors.

Getting there

The mosque sits inside the Uwayna quarter, north of the old market district. The quarter takes its name from the many springs that once rose from its ground; Ottoman records call it Hayr Sulak, the gardens where water gathers. Khan al-Hinta and the Al-Jadid Mosque are in the same quarter, so all three fit into one walk. Asking for the mosque in the neighbourhood is quicker than looking for street signs.

What to see

The building is Ottoman in style, and local sources compare it to the Valide Mosque in Istanbul. The prayer hall is square. Stone arches rest on basalt columns, with carved stone above them. The central dome is carried by the walls, and clay jars were set into it to lighten the load. In front of the prayer hall door, stone muqarnas decorate the ceiling, and a six-pointed star is carved on the south facade. The rainwater spouts carry tulip motifs, a sign of the Tulip Era under Sultan Ahmed III.

A small white dome stands on the roof. It was once used to announce Friday to the neighbourhood and for reciting the Quran.

How it reached today

The mosque was renovated in recent years, and the renovation took several features away. A tiled canopy was added to the east front and the facade was clad in marble. The wooden minbar, the pulpit, was removed. Three generations of preachers from the Mahmudi family served here; they died in 1896, 1957 and 2008. The last of them climbed the wooden minbar for the Friday sermon holding a sword, an old custom in the Damascus region. When the minbar went, the custom ended with it.

How long it takes

Twenty minutes is enough for the courtyard, the prayer hall and a look at the outside walls. The prayer hall closes to visitors at prayer times.

What most people miss

The angle of the east door. It was deliberately set askew to the wall: at noon, when the north bench fell fully into the shadow of the south bench, it was time for the midday call to prayer. The west and east doors of the Al-Jadid Mosque work the same way. Because of the tiled canopy and the marble cladding the shadow no longer draws that line, but the angle between door and wall is still plain to see.