Revival of Umayyad Mosque and its Complex

This project illustrates the revival of the Umayyad Mosque and its complex in the Al-Midan area on the right side of Mosul. To revitalise this significant urban area, research was conducted.  Its inhabitants have abandoned the giant structure. It leads to the neglect of this archaeological mosque, which has passed its foundations for over a thousand years.

The concept consists of designing an interactive urban environment that achieves cultural exchange and creating an urban field in which activities are integrated. To provide the best service to users, supportive services were implemented within the complex to ensure that the entertainment aspect, represented by cafes, restaurants, museums, and theatres, has been fulfilled for the project. These facilities operate throughout the day and serve the area of the project and the city as a whole.

The functional areas of different parts of the project were calculated based on the parameters of each part.

The project site was also analysed in terms of accessibility, environmental analysis, walking paths analysis, primary and secondary paths, the overall composition of the area, topographic survey, building heights analysis, and local architectural elements in the area.

In the design process, the old mosque and minaret were treated as essential parts that could not be modified but could be added to them to revive these parts of the complex. As for the mosque, an expansion was made on both sides and forward, and a courtyard was added to the mosque with a hall and the Imam’s house. Historically, there were four gates for the mosque, so the gates were designed in a way that was compatible with the mosque’s design; the presence of urban spaces at the mosque’s gates was carefully considered. All the arches in the mosque are Mosulian arches with three centres.

In the past, there were schools with prominent mosques in the Islamic city, so the designer decided to add a private school component to the mosque that is coherent with its design so that it appears as a part of it.

As for the historical minaret, the designer surrounded it with a glass box carried on an iron structure.

To revive the area and revive the (Umayyad mosque), specific shops were added as they have existed in the complex history to accommodate the heritage professions in the area. Places of tourist accommodation for visitors were also added, as well as a museum to display antiquities and historical artefacts, along with restaurants and resting places designed on the riverside for tourists and the people of the area.