Al-Qaiqan Mosque ( ar, جَامِع الْقَيْقَان, Jāmiʿ al-Qayqān, lit=Mosque of the Crows) is one of the oldest surviving mosques in
Aleppo,
Syria. It is located in the western part of the
Ancient City of Aleppo, within the historic walls of the city, to the north of the
Gate of Antioch.
History
During the ancient times, the building had served as a
Hittite pagan temple. It was turned into a mosque during the 12th century. Old carved stones with
Hittite inscription were used in the construction of the mosque. Two old
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
columns could be seen at the main entrance of the building. On the southern wall of the mosque, a stone block with
Anatolian hieroglyphs inscription could be found.
Both
Telipinu and
Talmi-Šarruma, descendants of
Šuppiluliuma I, are mentioned in the inscription on the south wall of the building.
The mosque was enlarged in 1965 and entirely renovated in 1996.
References
Mosques in Aleppo
12th-century mosques
Religious buildings and structures converted into mosques
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