At the entrance to the Government Building, at the southeastern end of Natanzon Street, are the remains of a mosque from the time of Dahr al-Omar, builder of the walls of "New Haifa" and Basra.
A-Za'ir Mosque, the small mosque in Haifa
The mosque was located in the Muslim quarter of "New Haifa", on the south-eastern side, which was located in the area of the government building today. To the west of the mosque was the central market square where the great mosque was later built To Jarina, i.e. "the thresher". The small mosque was used by the market island, buyers and merchants alike. It was built of limestone at the end of the 18th century, during the reign of Dahr al-Omar.
Above the roof of the original building, rises a round minaret, also built of stone, which ends at its upper end in a cone-shaped roof. Below it is the balcony where the muezzin used to go out to call the believers to prayer. The openings of the building are arched and the prayer halls have vaulted ceilings. In the wall of the mosque, in an alcove, the fountain also survived from which the passers-by used to drink water.
In 1948, after the battle for Haifa in the War of Independence, the Muslim residents left the area and the mosque was abandoned and partially destroyed. The remains of the building were renovated in the 80s of the 20th century, including the minaret and the prayer halls with vaulted ceilings.
Dahr al-Omer
Dahr al-Omar (1689-1775) was an autonomous ruler of the Galilee in the 18th century. In the 50's, "Old Haifa" was a small fishing village, in an area that was subject to daily waves, a place that was difficult to defend militarily. Therefore, Dahr al-Omar built in the area between the Paris square and the Government Kiryat today "New Haifa" as a walled city. In the heart of New Haifa, the A-Za'ir Mosque was built.
In order to protect the city, he built the citadel above it Burj E-Salam, The Fortress of Peace, where the Garden of Remembrance is today. Also, build the The Saraya, the Government House, on the beach, in the area of today's Customs House. These construction enterprises greatly strengthened the position of the city. Therefore, Dahr al-Omar is considered by historians to be the builder of modern Haifa.
The commemoration of Dahr al-Omar in the symbol of the city of Haifa
In the upper part of the symbol of the city of Haifa, the fortress built by Dahr al-Omer above "New Haifa" is commemorated, as a symbol of peace, since its name in Arabic is Burj E-Salam, namely the fortress of peace. The symbol designed by the artist Esther Berlin-Yuel was approved by the city council in 1936.
Building preservation
The building of the A-Zair Mosque was declared a "building for preservation" by the Haifa Municipality and the Council for the Preservation of Heritage Sites in Israel. The remains of the building underwent a conservation process in the 80s.
Dear readers,
The articles in this section are based on open information published in sources such as Wikipedia and other websites and may include various historical inaccuracies arising from the aforementioned sources.
The area is not neglected and a development plan is definitely proposed for it. Next to the mosque it is proposed to build - instead of the telephone exchange - a huge building including a large underground parking lot. Although the mosque will now look like a fly next to an elephant, and this is assuming that it will not collapse during construction, but this is the view of the planning of the municipality of Haifa. It is not clear why it is not left to future generations to destroy some buildings... we don't have to destroy everything now.
to Esmeralda
Thanks so much for your response. The articles in this section are based on original illustrations only. Shabbat Shalom!
to Murtagi
Thanks so much for your response. Shabbat Shalom!
to Anat
thank you for your response. Only programs with financial backing will be able to change. Shabbat Shalom!
It is recommended to attach contemporary photos in order to identify the site.
Interesting article, thank you.
It's a shame that recent photos of how it looks today were not attached. Can add a lot to knowing the place and the ability to search and find it when traveling in the city 🙏
Very beautiful, historically correct, but the mandate continued and turned Haifa into a central city
It's sad that the municipality is neglecting this beautiful area..
There are no development plans, there is no evacuation of construction in the entire area, neglected and abandoned, very sad.