Sidna Ali Mosque and Cemetery In Herzliya
On our way to Herzliya , the kids asked me if there was Arab existing villages there . Somehow the welcoming statue of Herzel was not to be missed.
I thought the kids can have a good exercise in understanding what is actually there in Herzliya aside from the poshy neighborhood of kfar shemaryahu and the beach .
We went to visit Sidna Ali…
The mosque is situated around a tomb reputed to be that of a local saint, Ali b. Alim who died in 1081.Ali was described as great scholar and miracle worker by Baybars‘ biographer, Muhyi al-Din (died 1292).According to Mujir al-Din (writing c. 1496), the mosque was visited by Baybars in 1265. Baybars prayed for victory before retaking Arsuf from the crusaders.[2] An annual festival that was attested here in the 15th century continued up to the 1940s.
The existing building contains parts of differing ages of construction and repair, though none from before the 15th century The part of the building described as the oldest in 1950 has since disappeared. The minaret was destroyed by naval bombardment in World War I and since rebuilt. Major repair work was done in 1926, the 1950s and 1991–1992.
( from Wikipedia)