Segesta Archaeological Park: Church of San Leone
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Segesta Archaeological Park: Church of San Leone

Place belonging to the multi-serial site: Segesta

On the way to the theater, on the same plateau as the Church of San Leone, there are the remains of a mosque, the only known so far in Sicily.
It was originally divided into two naves, parallel to the qibla wall (which indicates the direction of prayer, towards Mecca). Right in the center of this wall, to signal its peculiarity, there is the niche of the mihrab, an element present in all ancient and modern mosques. Given the small size of the building (20 × 11 m), it is plausible that it is a congregational mosque or 'Friday mosque', from the fixed day of meeting of all adult males of the community for solemn prayer. The Segesta Mosque can be safely dated to the XNUMXth century (at the height of the Norman domination) and was certainly built by the Muslim community that settled on the top of Monte Barbaro at that time. To this same community can also be attributed some houses and the Muslim rite cemetery found behind the auditorium of the theater.

The mosque was destroyed after just a century of life, at the beginning of the thirteenth century, following the arrival of a Christian lord who built the nearby castle. (Source: https://www.parcodisegesta.com/)

 

Multimedia map with all interested sites: Segesta Archive 

Card insertion: Ignazio Caloggero

Information contributions: Web, Region of Sicily

Photo: Google

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