Al-Dalati Mosque is considered one of the most important Islamic and historical landmarks on the historic Al-Hamidiyah Street in Homs Governorate. The name “Al-Dalati Mosque” was given to it after its renovation in 1315 AH, in honor of its founder, Haj Hussein Al-Dalati.

The mosque has been known by several names. When it was first constructed, it was called Sultan Abdul Hamid Mosque and was also popularly known among locals as “Al-Dak Mosque.” Its columns and remaining stones were later used in the reconstruction and expansion of the Great Al-Nuri Mosque.

The mosque was built in the 1870s (nineteenth century) when Haj Hussein bin Muhammad Al-Dalati and Haj Ismail bin Khidr bin Ismail Kreidiyeh—both Ottoman Muslims—gathered funds from local philanthropists, charitable donations, and inheritance to construct a mosque on land designated as a waqf (endowment) of the Great Al-Nuri Mosque. The project was approved by the Sharia judge Muhammad Said Effendi and dated 29 Rabi’ al-Thani 1299 AH (1881 CE). They built walls of mud and clay, a mihrab of mud, and a wooden roof. The mosque’s entrance faced the main street extending from Bab al-Souq towards Bab Tadmor and was named Al-Hamidiyah Mosque to hold the five daily prayers.

Additional funds were collected from benefactors, supplemented by their own resources. Seven shops were built, along with a public water fountain (sabil) accessible from the street for the public and from inside the mosque for worshippers. A minaret was constructed with an octagonal design to allow the muezzin’s call to reach the ears of the Muslims.

The mosque’s current area is 1,578 m² and includes a wooden minbar for sermons, two mihrabs, a wooden pulpit, a prayer hall, an ablution hall, a well, an open courtyard, and a water supply system for the sabil. It has two floors: the ground floor contains 23 shops for rent, and the first floor contains four rooms used as a school and a dispensary for waqf purposes.

Al-Dalati Mosque, like other historical sites in Homs, is distinguished by its black stones, a hallmark of the city’s architectural landmarks. It belongs to the group of buildings and monuments that must be preserved and protected from oblivion.

Hassan Safwan Dalati
2009-04-22