| Building Name: | Uwais al-Qarani Mosque Arabic: مَسْجِد أُوَيْس ٱلْقَرَنِيّ |
| Location: | Raqqa, Syria |
| Religious Affiliation: | Twelver Shi'ism |
| Architecture Type: | Mosque |
| Specifications: | no |
| Year Completed: | 2003 |
| Functional Status: | Destroyed |
| Date Destroyed: | 2014 |
Uwais al-Qarani Mosque (Arabic: مَسْجِد أُوَيْس ٱلْقَرَنِيّ|Masjid ʾUways al-Qaranīy) was a Twelver Shi'a mosque in Raqqa, Syria, until it was demolished by the Islamic State on May 31, 2014. It is currently awaiting reconstruction.
It contained the shrines of Ammar ibn Yasir and Owais al-Qarani, who died in the Battle of Siffin in 657, which took place around 40km (30miles) west of Raqqa. It was adjacent to the Bab al-Baghdad, another major landmark in the city.[1] [2]
The original tombs were located in the old cemetery at the edge of the city. In 1988, Syrian president Hafez al-Assad and the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini, initiated a project to develop a new mosque around the tombs. The work was completed in 2003 and a commemorative plaque credited President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami with completing the project.[3]
In June 2013, rebel fighters from al-Muntasereen Billah militia were living in the mosque complex.[4] On March 26, 2014, the mosque was blown up by two powerful explosions and completely destroyed by the Islamic State because it was a Shi'a structure. More specifically, it was also built over graves and thus served as a shrine.[5] [6] [7] [8]