Zofor Domri Mosque

Zofor Domri Mosque
مسجد الظفر دمري
Religion
AffiliationIslam (former)
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusMosque
Governing bodyMinistry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs
StatusDestroyed
Location
LocationShuja'iyya, Old City of Gaza, Gaza Strip
CountryPalestine
Geographic coordinates31°30′04″N 34°28′02″E / 31.5011°N 34.4673°E / 31.5011; 34.4673
Architecture
StyleMamluk
FounderShihab al-Din Ahmad bin Azafir al-Thafer Damri
Completed762 AH (1360/1361 CE)
Destroyed2023 bombing
Specifications
Interior area600 m2 (6,500 sq ft)
Minaret(s)1
MaterialsLimestone; sandstone
[1][2]

The Zofor Domri Mosque (Arabic: مسجد الظفر دمري, romanized: Al-Ẓafar Damrī Mosque)[a] is a destroyed mosque located in the Shuja'iyya area of the Old City of Gaza in the State of Palestine. It was built in c. 1360 CE during the Mamluk rule of the region and expanded in 1498. The mosque was damaged on multiple occasions by conflicts in the region, including the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. As of May 2025, it was reported that the mosque was damaged.

History

The mosque was founded in 762 AH (1360/1361 CE) by Shihab al-Din Ahmad bin Azafir al-Thafer Damri, a Mamluk prince, after whom it is named.[3] Al-Thafer Damri was buried at the mosque. An inscription dated to 1498 (903 AH) indicates that the mosque was expanded around this time.[4]

Following the Third Battle of Gaza in late 1917, in which the British Army captured Gaza from Turkish forces, the city was devastated and Zofor Domri Mosque was damaged. It was rebuilt in the following decades, during the period of British Mandate in Palestine.[1]

The Zofor Domri Mosque was amongst the more than 170 mosques damaged during the 2014 Gaza War;[5][1] the parts built in 2010 bore the brunt of the damage and repair works were undertaken in 2015.[3] It is managed by the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs.[2] The mosque was again damaged during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, when it was bombed on three occasions and bulldozed.[2] In February 2025, Gaza's Ministry of Endowments reported that 79% of the mosques in the Gaza Strip were destroyed.[6] As of 28 May 2025, UNESCO confirmed that the mosque was one of more than 100 cultural properties with preliminary damage, assessed on satellite imagery.[7]

Architecture

The mosque measures 24.5 by 26 metres (80 by 85 ft) and was built from limestone and sandstone. Arranged around the 13.8 by 9.2 metres (45 by 30 ft) courtyard are a prayer room to the east, an iwan to the south, a minaret, and on the north side are a library and a burial room containing al-Thafer Damri's tomb.[8]: 153, 156  The entrance on the north side dates from the mosque's establishment in 1360, and in the late 20th century was one of the best preserved entrances from the Mamluk period in Gaza. The inscription dating the mosque's construction is above the door. Above this are decorative fields of trefoil patterns and geometric shapes.[8]: 152–154, 371  Several iwans were added during the mosque's reconstruction after the First World War. By the 1990s only one of the iwans, the one the south side, survived – it likely dated to the Mamluk period.[8]: 152–153 

The prayer room is connected to the courtyard by two doors. This access method route to the courtyard rather than using an arcade may have been developed in Syria. The style is used at other mosques in Gaza such as the 13th-century al-Agami mosque.[8]: 357 

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Other names include: Al-Zufurdimri Mosque, Al-Thafar Damri, and Qazmari.

References

  1. ^ a b c Virgili, Fabrice (2025), "Mosquée al-Ẓafar Damrī (Zofor Domri)" [Al-Ẓafar Damrī Mosque (Zofor Domri)], Gaza, inventory of a bombed heritage (in French), retrieved May 18, 2025
  2. ^ a b c Damage and Risk Assessment of Cultural Heritage Under Attack in the Gaza Strip (PDF). Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation (Report). State of Palestine Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. January 2025. pp. 91–92.
  3. ^ a b Ali, Taghreed (February 3, 2021), "Gaza counts Mamluk-era mosque among ancient treasures", Al-Monitor, archived from the original on April 19, 2021, retrieved May 18, 2025
  4. ^ Sadeq, Moain (1991). Die mamlukische Architektur der Stadt Gaza (in German). Klaus Schwarz Verlag. p. 152. doi:10.1515/9783112400968. ISBN 978-3-11-240096-8.
  5. ^ Fordham, Alice (August 12, 2014). "Gaza's Casualties Of War Include Its Historic Mosques". NPR. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  6. ^ "Religious Sites in Ruins: Israeli Forces Destroy 79% of Gaza Mosques, 3 Churches". Palestine Chronicle. February 2, 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  7. ^ "Gaza Strip: Damage assessment". UNESCO's action in the Gaza Strip / Palestine. UNESCO. May 28, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d Sadeq, Moain (1991). Die mamlukische Architektur der Stadt Gaza (in German). Klaus Schwarz Verlag. doi:10.1515/9783112400968. ISBN 978-3-11-240096-8.
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