BEIRUT, 5 June 2004 — Beirut’s oldest mosque, which was once a Romanesque Crusader church, reopened yesterday following major renovation to erase the damage inflicted to the hybrid building in the 1975-1990 civil war.
Al-Masjid Al-Omari Al-Kabir, once on the green line that divided the wartime capital, dates back to the 12th century Mamluk era and is one of the best-preserved ancient remains of the downtown area.
The mosque, nestled in a block housing two other mosques, three churches and vast archaeological ruins, is at the heart of the capital’s renovated center which has become a major business and entertainment attraction. A harmonious mix of Christian and Islamic styles, it takes its name from Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph, who in the seventh century was behind the large expansion of the Muslim faith across the Middle East.
After lengthy restoration works led by Lebanese architect Yussef Haidar, the mosque grew from an initial structure of 750 square meters (8,100 square feet) to an elegant building of 2,500 square meters.
It is shaded from a main downtown street by wooden and white-marble musharabiya panels hiding an inner court surrounded by a gallery of columns.
“We wanted to respect the original architecture of the building and its existing ancient layers while adding contemporary elements in harmony with the whole,” said the 39-year-old architect.
The mosque, which has a new modern-style minaret and another dating back to Mamluk times, also comprises a praying hall for women, a 350-seat underground auditorium and a space due to be turned into an Islamic art museum.
“It will be a true cultural venue,” said Haidar who boasted that the renovation had rendered the building technically “the most modern mosque in Lebanon.”
Renovation works cost about $3.5 million, mostly granted by wealthy Kuwaiti businesswoman Sheikha Suad Al-Humaydi, one of the largest investors in postwar Lebanon. Humaydi was expected to be present at the official inauguration ceremony due to be attended by 2,000 guests later yesterday.
The mosque boasts an Ottoman-style door on the western facade, another Mamluk gate under a dome dating back to 1183 AD and a wrought-iron Maqam (shrine).
Another legend said the mosque had a relic containing a hair of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) that was allegedly stolen during the war. Renovation also cleared the bases of the facade and the apse, revealing an ancient text engraved on a rectangular stone announcing the fixed price of bread for Beirut bakers in the Mamluk tradition.