The Great Ayyubid Mosque of the Aleppo Citadel

The Great Mosque of the Aleppo Citadel is one of the Citadel's most significant landmarks. An inscription located at the entrance indicates that King Al-Zahir Ghazi al-Ayyubi commissioned its construction in the year 610 AH (1215 AD). The mosque consists of a prayer hall and an open central courtyard featuring a water basin, surrounded by an arcade. Beyond the arcade lie several rooms fitted with small windows that could serve as arrow slits in times of necessity. The mosque also features a square-shaped Ayyubid minaret and houses two *mihrabs* (prayer niches) within its interior.