Amadiya/Amedi Mosque and Minaret

The Great Mosque of Amadiya/Amedi was reconstructed in the 20^th century over an earlier structure whose origins lie in the medieval period and possibly earlier (see further in “History”). The prayer hall is longitudinal in plan. Its three aisles are vaulted through an array of low pointed arches set on massive piers; the arcades and walls are stuccoed a plain white. The mosque is accessed from the east by way of a long courtyard, which is flanked by a wall to the south and modern buildings to the north. 

The mosque’s minaret, likely built in the 16^th century, rises from the northeastern corner of this complex, next to the gate into the courtyard. It is made of ashlar blocks of a local, rosy colored limestone and stands over 30 m high. The square base measures about 5 m x 5 m; a door into the minaret is located on its east side. Each of the other three sides of the base is decorated with a blind niche with a pointed lobe at the peak, and within each niche is a small medallion decorated with intricate relief patterns. Over the niches are rectangular cartouches designed for the dedicatory inscription. However, these have been left blank for an unknown reason—hence the uncertainty around the structure’s date. The square base transitions to the circular shaft through the so-called “Turkish triangle” type of pendentive. Just above this transition is a decorative band and a simple torus molding. The shaft is plain but for another torus directly below the balcony, the brackets of which are delicately carved with floral designs; above this is a dome topped with an alem. The upper part of the minaret was rebuilt after being damaged during the military conflict of the 1960s (this is the reason for the slight difference in the coloration and condition of the blocks).