AL-MAJMA'AH — The historic Al-Towaim Mosque, one of the oldest heritage buildings in the region, is located in the Al-Majma’ah governorate, north of Riyadh.

The mosque dates back to the eighth century, AH, and it has been renovated as part of the Muhammed Bin Salman Project for Historical Mosques Renovation in Saudi Arabia, under which 30 mosques in 10 regions will be restored and rehabilitated.

The mosque was built by Medlej Bin Hussein Al-Waili, his sons, and other tribal members, and was renewed during the reign of the late King Abdulaziz. Prominent Imams used to lead the prayer in the mosque including Sheikh Abdulkarim Al-Ahmad, who used to lead the prayer until 1423 AH, where a committee was formed to study the mosque’s ability to receive prayer. It was later decided that the mosque had to be closed for the safety of worshipers.

The mosque is about 170 km from Riyadh, and it was built in the Najdi style consisting of mud and stone with a wooden roof built from tamarix and palm fronds at a total area of around 461 square meters and used to accommodates nearly 270 worshipers.

The mosque consisted of a prayer house, a retreat, and Al-Sarha, a depot, a place for ablution, a circular-shaped minaret with a height of about 11.61 m, in addition to a palm tree planted square with an area of 41.7 square meters south of the mosque. The mosque has three entrances on the northern and eastern facades.

The mosque is now open and ready to receive worshipers after its renovation. It includes a prayer house, a retreat, a depot, a square, restrooms, and ablution places. It occupies an area of 681 square meters and can accommodate up to 472 worshipers. — SG