Showing 1-7 of 7 results
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Burj Es-Sabaa (Lion Tower)
The only monument of real interest in Al-Mina is the Lion Tower, a miniature fortress at the eastern end of the harbour. Named after the bas-relief lions that used to line the facade, the building dates from the end of the 15th century and was probably built by Mamluk sultan Qaitbey to protect the coastline against attack from the Ottomans.
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Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles
The city is dominated by the vast Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles , known as Qala'at Sanjil in Arabic. In AD 1102 Raymond de Saint-Gilles occupied the hill which overlooks the valley, the town and the coast. He decided to transform this position, which he called Mont Pelerin (Mt Pilgrim), into a fortress. The original castle was burnt down in 1289, and again on several subsequent occasions.
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Khan al-Askar
Just around the corner from Souq al-Haraj (at the northern end of the old town) is Khan al-Askar, which consists of two buildings joined by a vaulted passage. It is thought to have been built in the late 13th or early 14th century, and was restored in the 18th century.
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Madrassa al-Qartawiyya
Attached to the east side of the Great Mosque is Madrassa al-Qartawiyya, which was built by a Mamluk governor of the same name in the early 1300s, over the baptistery of the old cathedral. Famed for its fine workmanship, the madrassa has an elegant façade of black-and-white stone facings, topped by a honeycomb-patterned half-dome above the portal. The back wall is also made with black-and-white stone and has some beautiful Arabic inscriptions.
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Madrassa al-Tuwashiyat
Madrassa al-Tuwashiyat, a law school with an attached mausoleum that dates back to around 1471, is on the main street of the gold souq (Souq al-Sayyaghin). Built of sandstone in alternating black-and-white patterns, it has an unusual, finely decorated portal that towers above the building's ornate façade.
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madrassas of Al-Machhad and Al-Shamsiyat
From the top of the citadel, walk down the set of steps directly in front of you. When you reach the street to the street, turn left then first right and walk along Rue Rachid Rida. Take the first right and soon you'll see the 14th-century madrassas of Al-Machhad and Al-Shamsiyat , adjacent to the entrance of the Great Mosque. Opposite the entrance are two more 14th-century madrassas, Al-Khairiah Hassan and Al-Nouriyat.
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The Great Mosque
The Great Mosque is built on the ruins of a 12th-century Crusader cathedral, St Mary of the Tower. Parts of the cathedral were worked into the mosque's construction after it was destroyed by the Mamluks. Through the magnificent entrance is a large courtyard, surrounded by porticos on three sides and a domed, vaulted prayer hall on the fourth.
Showing 1-7 of 7 results
