The Mosque-Madrasa of Al-Asifyah ( ar, مدرسة الآصفية) is a complex of
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
and
madrasa
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
located near the riverbank of
Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
, in
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
. The mosque and its associated complex including school buildings, old courts and other former government buildings, and a palace are contained within a site alongside the banks of the Tigris that form part of a tentative
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
The mosque complex also includes a small shrine, which is believed to entomb the remains of
Al-Kulayni
Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Iṣḥāq al Kulaynī ar Rāzī ( Persian: ar, أَبُو جَعْفَر مُحَمَّد ٱبْن يَعْقُوب إِسْحَاق ٱلْكُلَيْنِيّ ٱلرَّازِيّ; c. 250 AH/864 CE ...
.
History
The complex was originally consisted of a mosque,
tekyeh
A takyeh ( fa, تکیه ''takye''; plural: ''takâyâ'') is a building where Shia Muslims gather to mourn Husayn's death in the month of Muharram. Such buildings are particularly found in Iran, where there are takyehs in almost every city. Teh ...
and
khan, and called Mawla Khana Tekeyyiah. Later the building belonged to the original complex was eroded and had to be demolished. The complex was then taken over by one of the students of the tekyeh who belonged to the Sufi tariqa, until the building was renovated by Muhammad Jalabi Khatib Al-Diwani in 1596. It then became the facility of
Mustansiriya Madrasah. The building was renovated again by the
Wali
A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...
of Baghdad
Wazir Dawud Pasha in 1825.
During the time, two madrasas were built for elementary and secondary levels, attached with preaching area and a
minaret. He also reformed the mosque with larger prayer space, and erected two minarets to the south of the mosque made of stone and decorated with
Qashani
''Qashani'' or ''Kashani'' is a Persian decorative arts which had been popular in Iran in the 16th to 18th century, and then moved to Turkey in the time of the Ottomans with the transfer of many Persians artists to Turkey, becoming the basis for ...
tiles. The buildings were engraved with the poetry by Sheikh Saleh Al-Tamimi.
Burials
•
Muhammad ibn Ya'qub Ishaq Al-Kulayni, a notable Shi'ite Muslim scholar.
See also
*
Islam in Iraq
The history of Islam in Iraq goes back almost 1,400 years to the lifetime of Muhammad (died in 632). Iraq's Muslims follow two distinct traditions, Shia Islam (majority) and Sunni Islam (minority).
Religious cities
Iraq is home to many reli ...
*
List of mosques in Iraq
This is a list of mosques in Iraq. There are 7,000 Sunni mosques and 3,500 Shia mosques in Iraq as a whole. According to the Office of Waqf and Sunnah in Iraq, in the capital city of Baghdad, there are 912 Jama Masjids which conduct Friday Prayer ...
References
16th-century mosques
Madrasas in Iraq
Mosques in Baghdad
Ottoman mosques in Iraq
{{Iraq-mosque-stub