Mosque of Jezzar Pasha

The Jezzar Pasha Mosque ( _ar. جامع جزار باشا) is located on al-Jezzar Street, inside the walls of the old city of Acre, overlooking the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The mosque is an excellent example of Ottoman architecture, which incorporated both Byzantine and Persian styles. Some of its fine features include the green dome and minaret, a green-domed "sabil" next to its steps (a kiosk for dispensing chilled drinking water and beverages), and a large courtyard. [http://www.frommers.com/destinations/akko/A36217.html Mosque of Ahmed Jezzar Pasha] Ullian, Robert. Wiley Publishing]

The mosque was the project of Acre's Ottoman governor in the late 18th century, Ahmed "al-Jezzar" (the butcher) Pasha, who was equally famous for his cruelty, impressive public works, and for defeating Napoleon at the siege of Acre in 1799. Jezzar Pasha ordered the mosque's construction in 1781 and had it completed within the year; it was built over a former church and other Crusader buildings. There is a "tughra" or monogram on a marble disc inside the gate, naming the ruling Sultan, his father and the legend "ever-victorious".

Adjacent to the mosque is a mausoleum and small graveyard containing the tombs of Jezzar Pasha and his successor, Suleiman Pasha, and their relatives.

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