Quick facts

Location

The mosque stands in the north-east of Gaza City, outside the old city, on the historic Salah al-Din Street, in the area linking the al-Tuffah and al-Shuja'iyya neighbourhoods. The cemetery that bears its name extends to its south and west.

Sheikh Ali ibn Marwan

Sheikh Ali ibn Marwan was a scholar of Andalusian origin, of the Hasani family, who came to Gaza from the Maghreb at the start of the Mamluk period, part of a wide migration of scholars from the Maghreb to the East. He settled in Gaza until his death, and his tomb is inscribed: "He died on Monday, the seventh of the month of Dhu al-Qa'da, in the year fifteen", that is 715 AH (1315 CE). He was buried in a large domed chamber beside the mosque.

History

• Late 13th century CE: the mosque was probably built before 1297 CE, as an inscription on the minbar names Emir Safar al-Hajib, whose presence in Gaza is documented in that year.
• 715 AH (1315 CE): Sheikh Ali ibn Marwan died and was buried beside the mosque, which became known by his name.
• 725 AH (about 1325 CE): an inscription above the minaret door records the renewal of the minaret, iwan, minbar and mihrab, about ten years after the sheikh's death.
• Later periods: a small hall was added, and the mosque underwent many restorations and additions.
• Modern times: the mosque remained a centre of Qur'an memorisation, producing hundreds of memorisers each year from al-Shuja'iyya and other parts of Gaza.

Architecture

The mosque covers about 320 square metres. Its roof is crowned by nine round domes carried on six marble columns decorated with carved Islamic motifs, and it is topped by a broad minaret. Its courtyard, east of the minbar, features carved decoration and arches. Because the ground level around it has risen over the centuries, an internal staircase on the north side descends about three metres from the hall to the courtyard.

The shrine and the cemetery

The shrine of Sheikh Ali ibn Marwan occupies a large chamber west of the mosque, about five metres high and crowned by a dome. Around the mosque lies the Ibn Marwan Cemetery, with historic headstones, one of Gaza's old cemeteries where generations of the city's people were buried.

The mosque in the genocide war

Since Israel's genocide war on the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, al-Shuja'iyya and al-Tuffah have been among the areas most heavily bombed and invaded. Ibn Marwan Mosque was damaged during an incursion by occupation forces into al-Shuja'iyya, and the adjoining cemetery was bulldozed. In early 2024 the Government Media Office in Gaza announced that occupation forces had exhumed about 1,100 graves in the al-Tuffah cemetery and bulldozed it.

Across the Strip, the occupation had destroyed 208 of the 325 registered archaeological and heritage sites by October 2025, and rare artefacts were stolen, while 738 mosques out of about 1,244 had been razed by early 2025, a number that rose to 835 destroyed mosques by October 2025.

The mosque today (2026)

Ali ibn Marwan Mosque stands today amid neighbourhoods devastated by the genocide war, after the cemetery holding the remains of generations of Gazans was bulldozed. With its nine domes and the shrine of its Maghrebi sheikh, the mosque has been a witness to Mamluk Gaza as a city of learning that welcomed scholars from al-Andalus and the Maghreb, and documenting and restoring it is part of the struggle to preserve Gaza's memory and identity.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

Seven centuries ago Sheikh Ali ibn Marwan came from the Maghreb to Gaza, taught there and was buried in its soil, and its mosque has borne his name ever since. Today, as the genocide war bulldozes Gaza's cemeteries and destroys its mosques, Ibn Marwan Mosque remains a witness to a city that embraced scholars and strangers, and to its people, who still memorise the Qur'an within its walls.