By Spahic Omer
‘Akkash mosque lies on the northern side of Qabil Street, which is one of the oldest business streets in Jeddah. The street got its name from the Qabil family that owned land originally.
The street has served as a hub of trade even before it was officially a street. It was also part of the historic pilgrimage trail that spanned the city from the sea to the Makkah Gate. The old commercial buildings of the street are still standing and proudly preserving the historical character of the city. Most of the buildings nearby, both commercial and residential, carry the Hijazi architectural features and identity.
The mosque was initially established, according to an inscription above one of the mosque’s entrances, in 1200 AH (1786 CE). The mosque’s establishment, or subsequent complete restoration, was conducted by a certain ‘Akkashah Abazah, after whom the mosque got its name. The mosque then underwent a total reconstruction in 1959. Though it was rebuilt of reinforced concrete, divesting it of some of its intrinsic traditional features, the mosque still tried and succeeded admirably in retaining its original quintessence and life-force.
The mosque has one level, but is still elevated about 1.5 meter above the street level. Thus, to enter the mosque through any of its entrances one must climb the stairs first. There are five entrances. One of them on the northern side is furnished with a facility for wheelchair users. One entrance on the southern side is designated for women.
The rear section of the mosque, which occupies one arcade, is rendered two-storey. While the lower level is part of the prayer hall used by men, the right section of the upper level is a prayer area for women. A well-screened flight of stairs from the women’s entrance leads to the area. The left section of the upper level is a library to which a flight stairs from inside the mosque leads.
Above each entrance on the outside there is a panel with a calligraphic inscription. The inscriptions feature selected Qur’anic verses that disseminate the importance of the mosque institution and the daily prayers. It follows that the emphasised messages are as much decorative as edifying.
The mosque is relatively vast. Its roof is generally flat, resting on a forest of pillars with the intercession of pointed arches. There are 49 slightly fluted pillars. They are organised in 10 rows. Each row has five pillars, except the eighth row from the qiblah side above whose centre a dome is erected. That row has four pillars.
Accordingly, there are 11 arcades parallel – or six arcades perpendicular – to the qiblah. The first four arcades parallel to the qiblah wall are raised by three steps from the rest of the prayer hall’s space. All pillars are cylindrical except the pillars in the fourth and seventh row, which are square. The spandrels of each arch feature medallions inside which the word “Allah” is repeatedly inscribed in plasterwork. The roof above every bay includes a shallow decorative ceiling dome.
The substantial central sections of the roof above the third and sixth arcade are raised specifically for lighting purposes. Their pedestals are perforated with plain windows. There are 22 such windows in each section, 44 in total.
Moreover, above the central sections of the eighth and ninth arcade a considerable dome is erected. Its interior is fully decorated with a delightful blend of geometric and floral patterns. The beauty of the dome and its immediate surroundings is further enhanced by the clever choices of colours and a tasteful manipulation of light. The tholobate (dome’s pedestal or drum) of the dome is perforated, containing 18 coloured windows.
Like in al-Mi’mar and al-Hanafi mosques, this mosque too has a mukabbiriyyah. It is located in the middle of the third arcade. It is huge and its presence is rather symbolic. Its width occupies two bays (the width of the mosque is six bays). Like the rest of the mosque, it is made of reinforced concrete. Its parapet is made of wood. One can climb to it via a flight of metal stairs on its right side.
The mosque is tastefully decorated with a succession of calligraphic inscriptions as well as floral and geometric designs. The mosque’s choice of colours and its being very well lit naturally also boost its aesthetic standing and performance. The segments that have received most attention decoration and ornamentation-wise are the interior of the dome, the mihrab, the minbar, the ceiling, and the six windows in the qiblah wall.
In addition, there is a decorative strip that runs around the entire interior of the prayer hall. It features a repetition of an intricate arabesque with interwoven floral and geometric patterns. At the centre of those fusions a well-known Islamic maxim is inscribed four times, delineating the four sides of the arabesque’s central motif. That maxim is: “And there is no victor/conqueror except Allah”.
In passing, the same maxim was the motto of the Nasrid dynasty as the last Moorish Muslim dynasty in the Iberian Peninsula. Their buildings, insignias and coat of arms regularly depicted the same thing. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why the architecture of the buildings surrounding the Qabil Street, including ‘Akkash mosque, is said to be marked by “the stamp of the Islamic architecture of the Egyptian arabesque and Andalusian style”.
The minaret of the mosque is cylindrical and has two balconies. It is made of reinforced concrete; however, the balconies are encased in a simple wooden jali or shish. That could be the case with the aim of partly disguising the minaret’s building material and bringing it as close as possible to and making it identifiable with a great many surrounding buildings that feature an array of shish as wooden screens, mashrabiyyahs and rawashin. In other words, the minaret – and in fact the whole mosque – was attempted to be as much localised and traditionalised as possible.
The mosque is surrounded on all sides by shops, storehouses and some other facilities. They are part of the mosque’s endowment system. They are two-storey and dense, so much so that they have completely enclosed the mosque. Thus, for one to go to the mosque, through any of its five entrances, one must, while climbing stairs, pass through a short passage flanked by shops. Only at the end of each passage, which is about 4-5 meters long, there is a mosque entrance per se.
The outside parameters of those passages to the mosque entrances are marked by a wooden dense shish, extending vertically about ten meters to the top of the surrounding buildings. Correspondingly, above each entrance to the mosque, there is a sizeable window that is screened by a mashrabiyyah. These are the two additional measures intended to enhance and facilitate the mosque’s spontaneous architectural integration with its traditional surroundings. The mosque did not want to be imposed on the surroundings, nor to be fundamentally different. Rather, it wanted to be an integral part thereof and to be one and the same.
The mosque is thus almost invisible and unrecognisable as an independent structure. It is virtually imperceptible to a casual observer. Its minaret is the only clear indicator that there is a mosque there. The minaret is thus multifunctional. Apart from being a place from where calls for prayers are given, it is also a guidepost, reminder, and a visual focal point. It also adds to the aesthetic charm of the place. As a matter of fact, the minaret belongs not only to the mosque itself, but also to the entire neighbourhood, and yet to the whole city. It is a sign of a collective and harmonious presence, orientation and quest, which extend above and beyond.
All this furthermore could be construed to the effect that the mosque is so much community oriented that the two are indivisible. The mosque belongs to people and is taken care of by them, while at the same time people belong to the mosque and are taken care of by it. Truly, there is a sense of mutual belonging here. The mosque and people live, grow and perform together, taking from and giving generously to one another. And that is the true meaning of a mosque being a community development centre.***
