Al-Majdila Mosque (مسجد المجادلة) was founded in 1224 AH/1809 by Ali Agha, a mamluk official who served as deputy to Acre’s Ottoman governor, Sulayman Pasha…
Al-Majdila Mosque (مسجد المجادلة) was founded in 1224 AH/1809 by Ali Agha, a mamluk official who served as deputy to Acre’s Ottoman governor, Sulayman Pasha al-Adil. Ali Agha was responsible for the provincial treasury and affairs of the governor’s court. He built the mosque east of his own house, in the northwestern quarter of the walled city, and added its minaret in 1810 to complete the complex. The people of al-Majdal The mosque took its name from families who moved to Acre from the village of al-Majdal near Asqalan. Many settled in this quarter while working in construction, and the neighbourhood became known as al-Majadila after them. The mosque therefore preserves the name of a Palestinian community whose movement into Acre formed part of the port city’s growth during the nineteenth century. The rebuilding of the minaret After substantial cracks developed within the minaret, a conservation project dismantled it stone by stone and rebuilt it in its Ottoman form. Surviving stones were numbered for reuse, while damaged pieces were replaced with matching stone. The work was completed with support from al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf and Heritage and the Turkish association Mirasımız.