Al-Nabi_Yunus_Mosque

Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque

Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque

Mosque in Mosul, Iraq


Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque (Arabic:  جامع النبي يونس, romanized: Jami' Al-Nabi Yunus) was a historic mosque located in Mosul, Iraq. It contained a tomb believed to be that of the Biblical prophet Jonah, known as Yunus by Muslims.

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History

The alleged grave of the Prophet Yunus was discovered by Jalal al-Din Ibrahim al-Khatni during his reconstruction of the site as a congregational mosque in 1365.[1] However, the mosque was also built over a demolished Assyrian Christian church that marked Jonah's grave.[2][3]

In 1924, the minaret was added to the mosque building by a Turkish architect. During Saddam Hussein's rule, the mosque was renovated and expanded.[4]

Construction

The mosque had one minaret and a conical ribbed dome. The floors of the mosque were built out of Alabaster and the prayer rooms had arched entrances that were inscribed with Quranic verses.[3]

The alleged tomb of Jonah was located at a corner of the mosque. The sarcophagus believed to be that of Jonah had a wooden zarih built around it.

In addition to Jonah's tomb, a modern shrine which contains the tomb of Shaykh Rashid Lolan is present next to the mosque.[5] This shrine dates back to the 1960s.[5]

2014 destruction

On 24 July 2014, the building was blown up by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,[6] damaging several nearby houses. They stated that "the mosque had become a place for apostasy, not prayer."[6]

Archeological discovery

In March 2017, after ISIL was driven out, a system of tunnels about one kilometre long were found under the mosque. Although all moveable items had been removed, there were still Assyrian reliefs, structures and carvings along the walls.[4]


References

  1. "I07: Mosque of al-Nabi Yunus". 2020-01-20. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  2. Lloyd, Anthony (2017-03-20). "Inside the Assyrian palace revealed in fight for Mosul". The Times. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  3. "Jameh Nabi Yunus (Mosul) - Madain Project (en)". madainproject.com. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  4. "I67: Shaykh Rashid Lolan". 2020-01-26. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  5. Tawfeeq, Dana Ford,Mohammed (2014-07-24). "Extremists destroy Jonah's tomb, officials say". CNN. Retrieved 2023-01-05.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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