The Urban Heritage Program of Al-Turath (Heritage) Foundation is seeking help from the private sector for the restoration of 62 mosques listed as heritage sites in 15 cities in Saudi Arabia. Engineer Saeed Al-Shahrani, Director of the Urban Heritage Program of Al-Turath Foundation in Riyadh, said the restoration of Al-Ushuza Mosque in Al-Ghath, around 270 kilometers from Riyadh, has been completed, while repair work for nine other mosques in various cities is underway. Al-Turath Foundation, which was entrusted to restore and preserve the old mosques listed as part of the Kingdom's heritage sites, has begun on three mosques in Madina and six others in Al-Hufuf. The cost of restoration for each is estimated between SR400,000 and SR500,000, said Shahrani. “The major challenge is to have enough funds available for restoration work,” said Shahrani. “Each heritage mosque, which is some hundreds of years old, needs a specialized team of workers and construction materials to restore to their near-original form.” Restoration work of the 1,400-year-old Jawasa Mosque in Al-Hofuf is urgently needed. According to records, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) offered second Friday prayers there after the dawn of Islam, said Shahrani. “Al-Jawasa Mosque, which has historical significance, is in a dilapidated condition and needs to be restored and preserved,” he said. There are other mosques in the Prophet's City, such as Abu Bakr Al-Siddique Mosque, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque and Masjid Al-Gammama and Al-Hassan Mosque, Al-Ukhair Mosque, Al-Tuhaima-1 and Al-Tuhaima-2 and Al-Jibri Mosque in Al-Hufuf, undergoing restoration work. The Urban Heritage Program has a fund of around SR4 million, which is hardly enough for restoration of eight to 10 more mosques, said Shahrani. He urged philanthropists and other companies in the private sector to come forward and contribute funds. He said Samba Capital made a contribution of SR500,000 toward the National Restoration Program of Historical Mosques in the Kingdom, which was first initiated by HRH Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz in 1998. Al-Turath Foundation, Shahrani added, in cooperation with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Call, is now entrusted with the restoration of this national project. The project has short-listed 62 mosques under the first phase. The second phase, which mainly involves the research and study of old mosques across the Kingdom, will be launched after the completion of restoration work of the remaining 52 mosques. These mosques are located in Makkah, Madina, Jeddah, Riyadh, Taif, Al-Baha, Asir, Qassim, Jizan, Hufuf and Tabuk. Teams of specialized construction workers, who are experienced in the restoration of heritage projects, have been recruited. Materials, such as wood, sandstone, stone or mud, are being selected from the same sites of the mosques themselves to preserve the originality of the construction. Shahrani said Al-Turath Foundation has been sending requests to companies and leading philanthropists for contributions. Newspaper advertisements are also being placed with appeals for donations. The basic aim of the restoration is not only the preservation of the mosques, but also readying them for daily five-time prayers for the residents of the area, said Shahrani. Toilets with water for ablution and electricity have been supplied in the restored mosques. It took around four years to study and short-list the 62 mosques as heritage sites. The restoration work takes about one year. Philanthropists, donors or companies interested to contribute can call 01-4807710 ext. 290 for enquiring about the mode of payment. __
