مسجد الإمام الحسين عليه السلام

Named after al Imam al Hussain ibn Ali, peace be upon him, the beloved grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, whose martyrdom at Karbala has shaped the moral imagination of the Muslim world, this mosque rises in the city of Tartus on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. Tartus, the ancient Phoenician port of Antaradus later known to Crusaders as Tortosa, has been inhabited continuously for more than four thousand years, and its Old Town still shelters the remnants of the Crusader cathedral converted after the Muslim reconquest into civic use. The city's Islamic heritage is shaped by its strategic position on the coastal route between Antioch and Tripoli, with generations of scholars, sailors and soldiers passing through its harbour. The Imam Hussain Mosque reflects the devotional tenderness the people of the Levant hold for the family of the Prophet. Its architecture weds traditional Syrian elements with modern construction, presenting pale stone walls, a central dome finished in turquoise tile, pointed arch windows filled with coloured glass and a slender minaret bearing two balconies from which the adhan is called by a mu'adhdhin trained in the melodic Damascene style. The interior is spacious and cool, the floor covered in Persian carpets patterned in crimson and gold, the mihrab framed by calligraphic bands reading Surah al Insan whose verses are traditionally associated with the household of the Prophet. A wooden minbar with pierced panels and mother of pearl inlay stands beside, and black banners bearing the names of the Imams are hung during Muharram and Safar. Women pray in a separate section at the rear with its own wudu facilities. During the first ten nights of Muharram the mosque hosts nightly majalis recounting the events of Karbala, accompanied by latmiya and communal supplications. Friday sermons draw on the Qur'anic verses of steadfastness, patience and justice. Visitors staying in Tartus for the ferry to the island of Arwad or the Crusader fortress of Safita are welcome to stop, dressing modestly, removing shoes at the threshold and respecting the contemplative reverence that the Syrian coast has long maintained around the memory of the Prophet's grandson.