Al-Musta'sim Billah Mosque

The Al-Musta'sim Billah Mosque (Arabic: مسجد المستعصم بالله), formerly the Abu Rabi'ah Mosque, is an Islamic place of worship located in the district of Adhamiyah in Baghdad, Iraq. A historic structure renovated in modern times, it contains the tomb of the last Abbasid Caliph, al-Musta'sim. It was also known as Mashhad al-Wu'ud, before it became a mosque.

Al-Musta'sim Billah Mosque
The grave of the last Abbasid Caliph, al-Musta'sim, inside the mosque
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
ProvinceBaghdad Governorate
Location
LocationAdhamiyah, Baghdad, Iraq
Shown within Iraq
Geographic coordinates33°22′17″N 44°21′48″E
Architecture
StyleModern, with elements from Abbasid architecture
Completed2005 (current structure)
Specifications
Capacity200 worshippers
Dome(s)1 (shrine)
Minaret(s)1
Minaret height30 metres

History

Originally, the site was the location of a shrine known as Mashhad al-Wu'ud, built over the grave of Ahmad al-Sabti, who was the son of the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid and a Sufi mystic.[1][2][3] The Abbasid Caliph, al-Musta'sim was killed by the Ilkhanate in the 1258 Siege of Baghdad, his remains were transferred here and reburied.[1][4][3] His daughter (or granddaughter) Rabi'ah was also buried here later on, and a shrine was built for her too, hence the name of the mosque was the Abu Rabi'ah Mosque.[1][2]

Modern history

In 1993, and archaeological excavation was conducted at the mosque. The historian Imad Abd al-Salam Rauf, who was involved in the excavations, was able to find the tombstone of the deceased Caliph.[5][4] The mosque and the attached tomb were renovated in 2005.[5][3][4] It was almost completely rebuilt with modern architecture.[2] A room for the Imam and other necessities were added to the mosque's structure.[3]

Specifications

The building has an area of 1000 m2 and can accommodate 200 worshippers.[3][6][2] Almost no trace of the original mosque remain, having being replaced by a modern structure.[3][6][2] A small dome still remains over the tomb of Caliph al-Musta'sim, and all other historic features of the tomb have disappeared.[3][6][2]

See also

References
  1. "مسجد ومرقد المستعصم بالله". rahm.ahlamountada.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  2. "مسجد المستعصم بالله". areq.net. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  3. "الگاردينيا - مجلة ثقافية عامة - "مشهد النذور او قبر النذور وفيه اكتشف قبر الخليفة المستنصر بالله في محلة النصة في الاعظمية"". www.algardenia.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  4. "بالفيديو .. هنا يرقد الخليفة العباسي المستعصم بالله". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  5. "Imad Abd al-Salam Rauf, an Iraqi thinker who loved history and found the grave of the last Abbasid Caliph".
  6. "المستعصم بالله… آخر خلفاء الدولة العباسية". مجلة الشبكة العراقية,IMN Magazine (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
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