Al Burtassi Mosque and Madrassa
Al Burtassi stands beside the Abu Ali River as both a mosque and a former school. Issa ibn Omar Al Burtassi established it during the Mamluk period, in the fourteenth century—the eighth century of the Hijri calendar—to teach religion according to the Shafi‘i school and to accommodate Friday prayers.
The building and its riverside surroundings attracted nineteenth-century European travelers and artists, who repeatedly drew this striking part of Tripoli. Its architecture shows Byzantine and Andalusian influences, while the minaret and the arch beneath it give the exterior its distinctive appearance.
Three domes rise above the building. The largest covers the central ablution area, a smaller dome stands over the mihrab, and the third and smallest lies to the east of the minaret. A beautifully worked marble basin occupies the center and is one of the interior’s most memorable features.
The minaret is also a remarkable structural achievement. Built above the open entrance rather than on a solid mass of masonry, it rests on an arch that carries its considerable weight outward to the sides. This solution, conceived roughly seven centuries ago, has withstood the earthquakes that struck Tripoli in later centuries.
The paired window has prompted the suggestion that the minaret’s architect came from Andalusia. Its detailing recalls the architectural traditions carried into the Arab world by Andalusian engineers and craftspeople.
