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In
Islam, mosques are not just places of worship and prayer;
rather, they take on a comprehensive role in Muslims’ lives.
Historically, mosques were places of education, where both
religious and worldly sciences were taught. Students used to set
off to Iraq from countries such as Syria, India and Persia to
study the sciences of pharmacology, engineering, astronomy, etc.
at the mosques of Baghdad. In addition to their role in
education, mosques gradually took on other functions such as the
lodging of students, who came from outside the city, and
assisting students financially. Mosques were thus called madrasas.
In the
aftermath of the US-UK war on Iraq, mosques have been playing a new role in the lives of
Iraqis. |
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The
establishment of such Islamic schools (madrasas) in Iraq mainly
took place during the Abbasid realm. One of the most famous of
these madrasas is the Mustansiriyya Madrasa which was built
between 1228 and 1233 A.D. It was the first college to be
constructed for the four canonical schools of Sunni law and was
named after the caliph Al-Mustansir. Known for its famous
astronomical clock, which gave the hourly positioning of the sun
and moon, it was the most prominent university in the Islamic
world.
Iraq
has many well-known mosques – both old and new – such as the
Sheikh Marouf Mosque, the Khafafin Mosque and the Mosque of
Prophet Youniss – thought to be the burial place of the
prophet Youniss (Johan). One of the mosques in Baghdad best
known for its elaborate, glazed tile work, beautiful calligraphy
and splendid arabesques is Al-Kadhimain Mosque. Built in the 16th century, Al-Kadhimain mosque stands in Al-Kadhimain
district in the west of Baghdad. More recently built mosques
include the Martyrs Mosque, the 14th of Ramadan Mosque and Um
Al-Ma`arik Mosque.
The
Great Mosque of Samarra
Around
74 years after the establishment of Baghdad (which was
established during the Abbasid Caliphate), the Caliph Al-Mu`tasim
Billah established a new capital 125km north of Baghdad; it was
called Samarra. It was the capital of Iraq from 836 to 892 A.D.
The
most glorious days of Samarra were during the reign of Caliph
Al-Mutawakkil (A.D. 847-861) when the Arabs excelled in science,
literature and art. The Balkwara Palace, the Ma`shouq palace and
Abu-Dalaf Mosque prove the glory of Sammara in those days.
Perhaps the most remarkable structure that was built by the
Abbasids there is the Great Mosque, along with its distinguished
minaret known as Al-Malwiya, or the spiral.
Al-Mutawakkil
built the Great Mosque in 852 A.D. to accommodate the large
number of Muslims who came to pray. With an area of 38,000
square meters and a capability of accommodating eighty thousand
people, it became the largest mosque in the world. It was built
using bricks and clay. Its walls surround a rectangular area
measuring 240 x 158 meters. The walls have a height of 10 meters
and a thickness of 2.65 meters. The mosque has 23 doors: five in
the north corner, eight in each of the east and west corners,
and two doors in the niche wall.
The
mosque has a spiral, 52-meter high minaret that stands 27 meters
away from the northern wall of the mosque. The spiral structure
has a quadrangular base with each side measuring 32 meters in
length. The spiral ramp turns anti-clockwise making five
rotations that end in a small circular room.
The
Leaning Minaret of the Nurid Mosque
Nurridin
Zangi, the Turkish ruler of Mosul, built the Great Nurid Mosque
in 1172 A.D. The outstanding feature of this mosque is its
59-meter high minaret, which stands at the north-west corner of
the mosque. It leans 8 feet off the perpendicular, much like the
tower of Pisa in Italy, which leans 13 feet off the
perpendicular. This is how it earned its Arabic name Al-Hadba
(the humped).
The
exact cause of the tilt is not known; however, many assumptions
have been made in this regard. Some place the blame on the
northwesterly winds; others believe that the cause of the tilt
is the gypsum used to keep the bricks in place. Another theory
implies that when the baked bricks that encased the minaret were
exposed to the sun, they expanded, crushing those that were
shaded and causing the cylindrical minaret to lean southward.
It
is feared that the leaning minaret, that has brought fame to the
city of Mosul, may soon collapse if measures to save it are not
taken.
The
Italian company Fondedile attempted to restore the minaret in
1981 by planting steel braces inside it; the steel braces
extended into the ground below the minaret. Yet, as a result of
the bombing of Mosul during the Iran-Iraq war, underground pipes
burst causing sewage to seep in the soil beneath the minaret,
something that weakened it and led to a further leaning of 16
inches.
New
Role for the Mosques of Iraq
In
the aftermath of the US-UK war on Iraq, and in the light of the
widespread looting that Iraq witnessed following the fall of
Baghdad, mosques have been playing a new role in the lives of
Iraqis, a role that demonstrates the positive impact mosques can
have on Muslims. Imams of different Iraqi mosques have asked
looters to return stolen items and have urged the Iraqi youth to
volunteer to clean and patrol streets and to help return stolen
items.
The
success of this new, positive role of the mosques can be seen
all over Iraq; for example, the Haq Mosque’s hawza group saved
300,000 volumes from the National Library of Iraq by
transferring them to their mosque in Revolution City. At Al-Husayniyah
District, boxes of medicine and hospital supplies and equipment
were returned to Majd Al-Arab Primary School.
Sources:
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“Baghdad,”
Global Security
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“Iraq
(Mesopotamia), 500-100 A.D.,” The Metropolitan Museum
of Art
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“Mosques
encourage looters to return stolen goods,” IRIN News
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“Mosque
of Al Mutawakil,” Koutayba
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Northedge,
Alastair and Derek Kennet. “Mosque
of Mutawakkil,” Great Buildings
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Sami,
Mariam “Iraq Fears Mosque Tower Will Fall,” Associated
Press March 19, 2003
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Zaimeche,
Salah “Education
in Islam - The role of the Mosque,” Muslim Heritage
Aisha
El-Awady has a bachelor’s degree in medicine from
Cairo University and is currently preparing her MA and working
as instructor of Parasitology in the Faculty of Medicine. She
may be contacted at: aawady@islam-online.net.
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