Mosque Hmzt Bn Bd Almtlb

Amid the crowded streets of Gaza City on the Mediterranean coast of Palestine, the Mosque of Hamza ibn Abd al Muttalib, may God be pleased with him, honours the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, known as the Lion of God and the Master of the Martyrs, whose courage at the Battle of Uhud in the third year of the hijra left a permanent mark on the Muslim memory. Hamza accepted Islam in the fourth year of the Prophet's mission, and his body, tragically mutilated by the pagan army at Uhud, was buried on the slopes of the mountain alongside his fellow shahids. Mosques across the Muslim world bear his name in tribute to his valour and his love for his nephew the Messenger of God.

Gaza itself is one of the most ancient cities of the eastern Mediterranean, mentioned by Egyptian scribes of the two thousand years before the present era and by later Greek, Roman, and Arabic geographers. It was the birthplace of the Arab legal scholar al, may God have mercy upon him, and its Great Mosque, the Umari Mosque, has been a centre of learning since the seventh century Arab conquest. Gaza's more recent history has been shaped by the hardships of the long Palestinian struggle for dignity, but its mosques have continued to gather worshippers for daily prayers, Friday congregations, and Ramadan recitations through every difficulty.

Architecturally the Mosque of Hamza follows a modest modern Palestinian idiom: walls of dressed limestone, a low central dome finished in pale green, a slender minaret finished by a small finial lantern, and a courtyard with a central fountain for ablution. The façade is opened by pointed Andalusian arches, and carved stone floral motifs soften the entrance. Inside, the chamber is furnished with patterned red and green carpet, the Prayer niche inset and trimmed with plaster arabesque, and the minbar carved in walnut. Framed verses of the Quran adorn the walls in Thuluth calligraphy.

Each of the five prayers, Friday khutbas, Ramadan tarawih, and Eid festivities filling the mosque's programme, its walls bearing witness to the quiet resilience of a faithful city.