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Imam Fadi Arif continues to raise the call to prayer in the “Grand Omari Mosque” and perform congregational prayers there. This mosque bears architectural features dating back to the Mamluk and Ottoman eras, and most of it was destroyed as a result of Israeli bombing and attacks on the northern Gaza Strip.
Al-Omari Mosque, also known as the “Great Mosque of Gaza”, is the largest and oldest mosque in the Gaza Strip. It is located in the old city of Gaza. It is believed to be located on the site of an ancient Palestinian pagan temple. The Byzantines used it to build a church in the fifth century AD. It is the third largest mosque. In Palestine after Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and Ahmed Pasha Al-Jazzar Mosque in Akka.
The Al-Omari Mosque was bombed by Israeli occupation aircraft on December 8, 2023, which led to its almost complete destruction. Al-Jazeera’s camera monitored how the Israeli bombing destroyed the landmarks of the ancient mosque, as it did to most of the homes of the Palestinian Strip.
In light of legitimate questions about the fate of the Omari Mosque and other archaeological sites in Gaza, a spokesman for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) stressed that “the priority is usually the humanitarian emergency, but cultural heritage in all its forms must also be protected in accordance with international law, which stipulates “Cultural property is civilian infrastructure and may not be targeted or used for military purposes.”
He added - in a previous interview with Al Jazeera Net - "UNESCO has established a process to monitor the damage since the beginning of the war, relying on satellite images and information sent to it from third parties, including our partners and sister agencies of the United Nations currently on the ground and in close cooperation with our office in Ramallah."
Palestinian archaeological expert Fadl Al-Otl pointed out that archaeological sites in Gaza were not targeted in past wars with this degree of destruction, “but in this war they were destroyed directly, such as the northern mihrab and all the domes present in the architectural expansion of the Al-Omari Mosque thousands of years ago, which disappeared completely.”
Regarding the possibility of restoring the damaged places after the end of the war, Fadl Al-Athl answered, clinging to some hope, “We can restore the remaining sites or parts of them that have completely disappeared, such as the site of Al-Balakhiya, which is the oldest seaport dating back to 800 years BC, and the Roman wall that was destroyed was discovered.” Occupation bulldozers and tanks in the western part.
The Gazan expert went on to say - in a previous interview with Al Jazeera Net - that "the mosques, churches and culture in the Gaza Strip were not spared" from the Israeli aggression, saying that the restoration of the Al-Omari Mosque is possible, but that it will be "a very long and expensive process because its area is vast."
Source: Al Jazeera + Anatolia