The stone minaret
A square base and pyramidal top.
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The Mosque of Omar ibn al-Khattab is a historic mosque at the heart of old Dumat al-Jandal, beside Marid Castle and the Al-Dar' quarter, and among the oldest historic mosques in Al-Jawf. It matters for a plan that recalls the Prophet's Mosque in Medina in its early stages, and for a stepped stone minaret that has become the town's symbol. Tradition credits the caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab with building it in the year 16 AH while travelling to Jerusalem. Some historians doubt this, since the structure does not resemble architecture of that time, and lean towards the Umayyad period. In 1793 the Al Saud family renovated it and rebuilt the prayer hall to face the qibla more exactly, leaving a building of overlapping layers of history. The mosque is built of dressed stone in a roughly rectangular plan, 32.5 m long and 18 m wide, with a qibla arcade, mihrab, minbar and courtyard. Its 12.7 m minaret rises from a square base with walls leaning inwards to a pyramidal top, and is considered among the oldest in northern Arabia. It can no longer be climbed, since parts of its stair have collapsed. The inner arcades offer shade, quiet and beautiful light. The mosque stands right at the foot of Marid Castle, with the stone lanes of Al-Dar' next door for a short walk. Keep shoulders and knees covered, women cover their hair, remove your shoes, and avoid prayer times and Friday midday. The Columns of Rajajil are 34 km from the area in a straight line.
A square base and pyramidal top.
Shade and light among stone piers.
Stone lanes next to the mosque.
Al-Dar' quarter, old town, Dumat al-Jandal, Al-Jawf Region
So tradition says, but some historians date it to the Umayyad period, since its style differs from buildings of the Rashidun caliphs' time.
No. Parts of its stone stair have collapsed, but you can admire it from the courtyard and surrounding lanes.
