Uwais al-Qarni Mosque

Uwais al-Qarani Mosque (مَسْجِد أُوَيْس ٱلْقَرَنِيّ) was a Twelver Shi'a mosque in Raqqa, Syria, until it was demolished by the Islamic State on May 31, 2014. It is currently awaiting reconstruction.

Dedication
It contained the shrines of Ammar ibn Yasir and Owais al-Qarani, who died in the Battle of Siffin in 657, which took place around 40 km west of Raqqa. It was adjacent to the Bab al-Baghdad, another major landmark in the city.

Construction
The original tombs were located in the old cemetery at the edge of the city. In 1988, Syrian president Hafez al-Assad and the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini, initiated a project to develop a new mosque around the tombs. The work was completed in 2003 and a commemorative plaque credited President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami with completing the project.

Destruction
In June 2013, rebel fighters from al-Muntasereen Billah militia were living in the mosque complex. On March 26, 2014, the mosque was blown up by two powerful explosions and completely destroyed by the Islamic State because it was a Shi'a structure. More specifically, it was also built over graves and thus served as a shrine.