Beit
Coordinates: 24.491844, 39.609691
Bani Haritsah Mosque, or Masjid Al-Mustarah, is a mosque located in Medina, Saudi Arabia. It is located at Sayyid asy-Syuhada’ street.
It is also called Bani Haritha Mosque because it is located among houses belonging to the tribe.
The naming comes from an account of the Hz. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taking a rest in this place once, during the way home returning from the Battle of Uhud.
Whenever the Prophet ﷺ used to visit the grave of Hz. Hamza رضي الله عنه and the other martyrs of Uhud he used to take rest here.
The word “Mustarah” means the place for resting.
The mosque was renovated during the time of the king Fahd, and the place was expanded to 491 square meters wide.
Houses belonging to the members of Bani Harithah tribe are located nearby the mosque.
The place was of strategic importance for the defense of the city during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, it is where the starting point of the trench for the Battle of the Trench was dug up as well.
Due its historical significance, the mosque was renovated and expanded during the Saudi era.
Architecture
The mosque is rectangular in shape and occupies a 491-square-meter area and is distinguishable by its beautiful dome and minaret. The mosque has entrances from the east, west and north.
Historian Ahmad Murshed said the mosque is located among the homes of Bani Haritha. A Turkish castle that stood west of the mosque was removed in 1995.
