Al-Amir Mosque

Description (The direction towards Mecca (Qibla) is described as eastern and other directions are named accordingly)

A rather undistinguished rectangular walled enclosure measuring about 20.5 x 18 m, with a courtyard in the north-eastern corner and sets of rooms along the southern and western walls, and another small room in the north-eastern corner. The south-eastern corner is chamfered and contains a sabil window with a simple decorative wrought-iron grille. The oblique wall with the sabil window and the section of the eastern façade containing the gate are built of ashlar stone, while the other external wall were built of smaller cut stones and plastered. The sections of ashlar stone have been recently covered with thick textured plaster. The undecorated entrance gate is covered with a segmental arch and placed asymmetrically in the eastern façade. It is flanked by a small segmental arch-topped window on each side. There are two simple rectangular window to the left (south) and one in the narrower northern part. There were simple decorative wrought-iron grilles in the windows (some now missing), and the door leaves of the gate are of wrought-iron grilles of Art Nouveau patterns. There is a marble inscription panel over the gate, informing in fine calligraphy in raised relief that this is the burial ground of the late Shaykh Muhammad al-Amir Ahmad Menatullah, and gives the date 9 Ramadan 1350. A small marble inscription panel is also placed in the lunette of the relieving arch over the lintel of the sabil window. By the northern wall of the courtyard is a simple wooden pergola, over a simple cenotaph of masonry, with an inscription panel including Shaykh Muhammad al-Amir’s name and date AD 1932.
At some time, the premises were converted into a mosque, which involved hanging on the external walls big sheet-iron panels with “al-Amir Mosque” name and information about the Shaykh. Also, a very crude minaret resembling a rural Egyptian pigeon-tower was built of bricks in the corner over the sabil. The minaret was demolished in early 2024.
The mosque subsequently went out of use, and all the windows have been walled up with bricks. Interior was inaccessible at the time of recording.