The Great Omari Mosque in Gaza’s old city centre has been hit in an Israel air strike
Gaza’s medieval Omari Mosque has been bombed and reduced to rubble.
Al Jazeera Arabic’s Jihad Abu Shanab visited the site to see the scale of destruction.
“This place of worship has been reduced to ruins by Israeli forces,” he said.
The mosque dates back to the pre-Islamic period, standing on the site of an ancient Philistine temple.
In the fifth century, a Byzantine church was built at the site, before it was restored by the Ayyubids. In 1260, it was destroyed by the Mongols, and then rebuilt. At the end of that century, it was destroyed by an earthquake but 300 years later, the Ottomans restored it.
“The Great Omari Mosque was one of the most prominent historical and religious landmarks in Gaza. It used to house traditional manuscripts and ancient parchments,” Abu Shanab said. “It had a large library containing many precious books. There was also a Quran recitation yard.”
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