Zeynel Abidin Mosque Complex

Zeynel Abiddin Mosque Complex (Turkish: Zeynel Abidin Camii ve Külliyesi) is a historic religious building complex in Nusaybin, Mardin Province, southeastern Turkey.

It is located in Nusaybin ilçe (district) of Mardin Province at 37°04′02″N 41°12′51″E. The complex is named after Zeynel Abidin, the fourth imam in the Twelver and Isma'ili Shi'a Islamic approaches. Zeynel Abidin and his sister Siti Zeynep are known as 13th-generation grand children of Muhammad.^[1] According to an inscription, the complex was built in 1159, during Zengid dynasty. It consists of a mosque, built in the place where the church of Santa Febronia of Nisibis, Christian martyr,^[2] a medrese (school) and tombs of both Zeynel Abidin and his sister Sitti Zeynep.

The building material of the L-plan mosque complex is rough stone. The mimbar, mihrab and the minaret are later additions. The tombs of Zeynel Abidin and Siti Zeynep are located at the south east of the mosque.^[3]

World Heritage Status

This site, together with the nearby Mor Yakup Church, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on April 15, 2014, in the Cultural category.^[3]

References

1. Cultural heritage page (in Turkish)
2. Bedjan 1968, 5:573-615; Brock and Harvey 1987, 152-76
3. Unesco page