History
A small mosque was supposedly built adjacent to the mausoleum of Khalid ibn al-Walid in the 7th century. The current interior shrine that contains Khalid's tomb dates to the 11th century, and is considered to be a "significant pilgrimage center."
Several sources state that the Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque was originally built around Khalid's mausoleum during the reign of Mamluk sultan al-Zahir Baybars in 1265. The building was later restored during the reign of Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Khalil in 1291. According to local tradition, when Tamerlane invaded Syria in the early 15th century, he spared Homs from destruction because it contained the mosque and the mausoleum of Khalid ibn al-Walid, whom he held in great regard in light of Ibn al-Walid's role as a companion of Islamic prophet Muhammad and a commander of the Muslim Arab army that conquered the city of Damascus and Byzantine Syria.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, during Ottoman rule, the Dandan family, the most prominent clan of the Arab Bani Khalid tribe, held a stake in the extended revenue shares of the mausoleum and the mosque. The Bani Khalid claimed descent from Ibn al-Walid and the accompanying tribes that participated in the conquest of Syria under his command. However, their claim of ancestry had been previously refuted by the Mamluk-era historian al-Qalqashandi.
The present-day mosque was built in the early 20th century, although some sources claim it dates to the late 19th century. Nazim Hussein Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Syria between 1895 and 1909, during the reign of Sultan Abd al-Hamid I, ordered the demolition of the Mamluk-era mosque for renovation. The renovation was completed in 1912, after Hussein Pasha's term as governor ended. Thus, the current Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque is of relatively recent construction and is noted for its Ottoman architectural style. According to historian David Nicolle, the mosque's construction by the Ottoman government was an attempt to maintain the allegiance of the increasingly restive Arab inhabitants of Syria. In later years Khalid was adopted as a hero and symbol of Arab nationalism.
Read more about this topic: Khalid Ibn Al-Walid Mosque
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