The Mosque of Omar Ibn al-Khattab is a historic mosque in Dumat al-Jandal in northern Saudi Arabia, located adjacent to the Marid Castle. It is one of the oldest mosques in the north of the Arabian Peninsula and is considered as one of the important monuments in Al-Jawf.
Marid Castle is built on a 600-meter-high rocky hill in Al Der’ District in Dumat Al-Jandal, Al Jawf region. The castle dates back to the first and second centuries and was named after its rebellion and defiance against those trying to invade it.
The castle was mentioned in history when it was invaded in 240-274 AD by Queen Zenobia, who said at the time: “Marid has rebelled, and Ablaq has glorified.” The original building of the castle was a rectangular shape, same as the rocky plateau it was constructed upon. However, additions such as buildings, castles, forts and observation towers gave it an oval shape.
Its main building consists of two floors: The first floor’s foundation was built of stone and the upper with mud, with a defensive wall attached to its façade. Above this wall, there is a antechamber leading to a defensive tower. The castle has two main entrances – one in the south near the fortress, the other in the north next to the tower.
The upper floor has four conical towers constructed at different times. The castle also contains two wells and rooms for guards, archery and observation. In 1976, excavations revealed Nabatean and Roman ceramics dating back to the first and second centuries AD.
Descriptions courtesy: Ministry of Culture, Saudi Arabia
Find the Location of the mosque premises here.
