It
was my first day in
Alexandria on this trip. I have visited Alexandria many times
before. I usually go there every year to have fun at its many
beaches, along with the beaches of the north coast west of
Alexandria. This time the objective of the trip was different. I
wanted to explore the historical monuments in this jewel of the
Mediterranean, and since I am an Islamic art fan, I wanted to
explore the Islamic monuments in Alexandria and see the difference
between them and the many Islamic sites in
Cairo. Of course, I am
also going to explore the more ancient sites as well.
But first, I took a taxi from Miami, where I stayed in
Alexandria, to
Fransa Street where the mosque of Terbana is located. Miami is
usually one of the most crowded areas in Alexandria in the summer.
It is considered, together with Sidi Bishr, to have the most popular
local beaches and people from all over Alexandria and other nearby
cities go to these beaches to enjoy the water and the sunshine.
However, it was easy for me to find a taxi because taxi drivers in
Alexandria
don’t usually refuse to take anyone anywhere and they don’t usually
argue a lot about the fare if it you give them a sensible price for
the ride.
My destination was Anfushi, the Ottoman district in
Alexandria. The
peninsula leading to
Fort Qaitbey was home to the inhabitants of Alexandria during
the Ottoman Period
between 1517-1914. The atmosphere here is different from the rest of
the city and it is best experienced on foot. Inside this area is the
famous Souq, the Market of Zan’et El Setat. It was packed with
crowds of women, as this is the most famous area for cloth in
Alexandria. They also sell medical herbs and perfumes. Just beside
this famous market lies the Terbana Mosque.
The founder of this mosque was Haj Ibrahim Bin Ebeid El-Maghrabi,
one of the Moroccan merchants who came to Egypt from Mesratah. The
mosque was built between 1684-1685 to serve as a resting place for
the pilgrims coming from Morocco and other North African Islamic
countries
on their way to Mecca. There was a Sabil annexed to the mosque until
1993 AD / 1413 AH then it was destroyed.
This mosque is a hanging mosque because the prayer hall is on the
second floor above a series of commercial stores that form a part of
the monetary support foundation of the mosque from the rent and
other revenues that they generate. This was a popular custom during
the Ottoman and
Fatimid Periods.
Most of the other recent mosques in the area of Anfushi were built
in the same hanging style as the Terbana Mosque.
This mosque was designed in a style that was most common in the
delta during the
Ottoman Period. The most important characteristic of this style
is the small red and black stones which were used in decorating big
houses and mosques at the time.
The walls of the mosque are plain with no decoration to mention
except for the marvelous mashrabeya windows that are all around the
mosque. They are simple in their design but overall they look
appealing.
The minaret of the mosque is unique in its design. It was built on
two huge separate columns of granite on one side and attached to the
mosque on the other. These columns have brilliant Roman decorations
at the top. This minaret design was only found in the mosques of
Alexandria during
the Ottoman Period
and the only remaining example is the one in the Terbana mosque.
The
minaret itself has three sections. The first one has eight sides. A
set of wooden stairs links the roof of the mosque to the second
section of the minaret, which carries the balcony of where the
Sheikh used to stand and call for prayers. The highest section of
the minaret is shaped like a tube with a small beautiful dome
surmounting it.
The first element that attracts one's attention is the decoration
above the entrance of the stairs leading to the prayer area of the
mosque. It is a lobed arch built of brick designed in the North
African Style with black and red alternating colors. Three circles
of decoration under two stars combine with the red and dark elements
to make this portal a wonderful piece of artwork.
About ten steps up one finds the main entrance to the prayer hall
on the right hand side. It is adorned with colored Kishani glazed
tiles displaying geometric and floral motifs. Blue and brown colors
dominate these decorations. Just
above
the door of the mosque there is an old text that attributes the
building of the mosque to Ibrahim Terbana.
The prayer hall of the mosque is rectangular and measures three
hundred and fifty square meters. It has two rows of columns parallel
along the axis leading to the Mihrab. They support four rows of
arches carrying wooden beams. Each column has a grand capital of
varying styles. Most, if not all, of the columns are from the
Roman
and Greek Periods.
These columns were part of ancient buildings that were destroyed
over time. Many of them were also used to decorate public squares
before they were used to build mosques in the Islamic Area in
Alexandria.
The Dikka of
the mosque is placed facing the
Mihrab wall and it
is a big rectangular balcony. It is as long as the length of the
hall prayer area. There is a small set of stairs to the right that
leads to the Dikka. This element is famous in the Ottoman mosques
around Egypt and is similar to the Dikka of the popular
mosque of
Mohamed Ali in the
Citadel and the
Mosque
of
Solaiman Agha El Selehdar in Mui’z Street in
Cairo
The Mihrab of the mosque is beautiful, decorated with the same
handmade Kishani tile that is used in the entrance. However, these
Kishani tiles are of different sizes and designs that create an
amazing and original pattern. There are also different shades of
green lines at the top of the Mihrab. Unfortunately, it needs a lot
of restoration and cleaning. The
Minbar on the
other side is in a good state and it was made of fine wood pieces
with geometric decorations. Along the top of its doorway is the
classic statement of Islam,, ”There is no god except Allah and
Mohamed is the prophet of Allah”.
The mosque has an attractive ceiling that is mainly made of redwood.
Under this redwood, there are strips of colored, decorated wood.
Interestingly, the ceiling of this mosque does not have a dome like
most mosques in Cairo.
The ceiling is just a large frame of decorated wood, which is very
unusual for any Egyptian mosque.
Terbana
Mosque is a perfect example of Islamic Ottoman art in
Alexandria, and
it is one of only a very few ancient mosques remaining in
Alexandria. The considerable size of the mosque and its rich
decorations attests to the large number of Muslims and pilgrims in
Alexandria at the time of its erection.
Yet, in many ways, this mosque has been ignored. One cannot guess that it is such a historical mosque from the stores beneath it, and interestingly, there was not a single sign that signaled its historical importance. Indeed, it was difficult to locate for this reason. Yet, it is a beautiful mosque to visit, and very unique, though at the same time it could use some government attention.
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Last Updated: 07/31/2006