History of old mosques and endowments in the town of Diriyah up to the year 1373 AH by Rashid bin Muhammad bin Asakir

Author: Rashid bin Muhammad bin Asakar Publisher: Dar Durar Al-Taj for Publishing and Distribution, Riyadh Date: 1438 AH The book is 633 pages in medium size, contains a dedication to the position of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and a comprehensive introduction written by the King himself, explaining the importance of the mosque and its great status. Then, a preface by the author mentions the contents of the book, which includes five chapters, along with some photos and documents, a list of sources and references, and an index of places and names. In the first chapter, the researcher provides an introduction to the definition of the mosque, its virtue, and its importance, including evidence related to mosque construction and encouragement to care for mosques, maintain them, and keep them clean. The second chapter discusses the establishment of mosques and methods of building them in the Al-Areed and Diriyah regions in the past, the components of the mosque, its parts, how to determine prayer times, and lighting the mosque during that era. It also mentions the construction of the first mosque in Al-Yamama ordered by the Prophet, peace be upon him, where the researcher explains that Diriyah and Al-Areed, when they wanted to build a mosque, gathered the prominent figures of the neighborhood, designated a site for its construction, estimated the necessary length and width of the mosque, measured the distance needed for the corridor where the rows would be, and then endeavored to determine the Qibla until they agreed on the direction and marked the corners of the mosque. The third chapter contains an introduction to the historical background of Diriyah and the geographical boundaries of its mosques, accompanied by an aerial photo of Diriyah. It also discusses the Imams from the Al Saud family and their role in encouraging knowledge and scholars, as well as their efforts to motivate people to perform the obligatory prayers and worship. In the fourth chapter, the researcher presents a schematic map of the neighborhoods and mosques of Diriyah, mentioning the names of its mosques, including: Masjid Al-Tarif, Masjid Qasr Al-Tarif, Masjid Moudi, Masjid Qasr Prince Saad bin Saud, and Masjid Al-Bujairi, among others. Each mosque is described with its name, construction period, main Imams and muezzins. It also discusses the Eid prayer sites in Diriyah, where the Eid prayers for Fitr and Al-Adha were held. In the fifth and sixth chapters, the author discusses the public endowments (awqaf) in Diriyah, then covers private endowments and the related means concerning Diriyah's awqaf from the establishment of the First Saudi State until the end of King Abdulaziz’s reign in 1373 AH. The book contains several photos of old mosques in Diriyah and efforts to restore them, followed by some documents related to the awqaf in Diriyah. As usual, Ibn Asakar relied on diverse sources, references, documentary materials, and oral interviews, making this a valuable reference for future researchers interested in the history of the First Saudi State in general and the history of the awqaf in Diriyah in particular.