In the heart of old Gaza City sits the Mosque of Sayyid Hashim, like an old grandfather whose memory is still fertile, narrating to his descendants bedtime stories about the history of their coastal city.
The details of this ancient tale began when the Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula used to travel to Gaza for trade, including the grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad, Hisham ibn Abd Manaf, who is said to have passed away in Gaza during his final journey.
The Prophet’s grandfather is buried at the northwest corner of the mosque, located in the Al-Daraj neighborhood, with an area of about 2400 square meters. Over the ages, it became one of the most important historical mosques in the Palestinian city.
The Mosque of Sayyid Hashim… Gaza Hashim
The people of Gaza began burying their dead in the area adjacent to the mosque, next to the grave of the Prophet’s grandfather, Muhammad, peace be upon him. In one of the old narratives, it is said that the Arabs named it “Gaza Hashim” because of the presence of the Prophet’s grandfather’s tomb there.
The ancient mosque did not exist in its current form before the Ottoman era; it was built in the Mamluk style, featuring an exposed central square courtyard surrounded by three outer arcades for prayer.
The main hall of the mosque is almost square, roofed with intersecting arches, and it contains a mihrab facing the qibla (direction of Mecca) and a pulpit renovated in 1850 AD during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Majid I.
The mosque was built from ancient stones dating back to vanished ancient buildings, including the Jawali Mosque and the site of Al-Ablaqiya, in addition to other remnants from the cities of Gaza and Ashkelon.
In 1903 AD, the main hall of the mosque was restored after cracks and dangerous fractures appeared, threatening the collapse of the mosque, and northern and western arcades were added to it.
In 1323 AH (1905 AD), the minaret of the Mosque of Sayyid Hashim suffered a malfunction, but it was renewed, and another prayer house was built adjacent to it on the north side, near the main building, where Friday prayers and sermons are held. Since then, it has been the venue for Friday prayers.
First Trade Journeys
The mosque used to house a large library and a school for teaching religious sciences, but large parts of it were demolished during World War I, and they were restored by the Higher Islamic Council in 1926 AD.
The Ministries of Endowments, Religious Affairs, and Antiquities in Palestine renovated the mosque in 2009 and reinforced the minaret after it suffered cracks.
Abu Hashim, the Prophet’s grandfather, was the first to undertake trade journeys for the Quraysh tribe. He used to come to Gaza every year and stay there during the summer, and on his last journey, he passed away there. Historians state that he was buried there, hence the city was named “Gaza Hashim.”
After his burial, the area where he was buried expanded, and Muslims around him were buried in his cemetery. His trace disappeared over time, but the location of the cave where he was buried is known to the people of the city.
