Salman Alfarissi Mosque

Masjid Salman Al-Farisi is the oldest Mosque in the A-Tur neighborhood of the Mount  of  Olives  and  it  is  dedicated  to  Salman  Al-Farisi,  one  of  the  most influential and important companions of the Prophet Mohammad. The site is also the mausoleum of Salman Al-Farisi, although it is widely believed that he is not buried here, but did spend time in this place. Salman Al-Farisi or ‘Salman the Persian,’ was born Rouzbeh Khoshnudan in Persia. He was raised in the Zoroastrian tradition, but later adopted Christianity. This decision led his family to imprison him in order to prevent him from joining a Christian group, but he was able to escape and travelled throughout the Middle East seeking out Christian enlightenment from priests and theologians. It was during this time that he encountered the Prophet Mohammad and after being saved from slavery by him, converted to Islam. It is said he was the first Persian convert to Islam. During his time as a trusted companion of the Prophet Mohammad, he is credited with many successful military operations, including digging  a  moat  in  order  to  prevent  the  city  of  Medina  from  invaders  and participating in the conquest of the Sasanian Empire. AL-Farisi is also credited with translating the Quran into Persian, this would be the first translation of the Quran into a language other than Arabic. The  Masjid  Salman  Al-Farisi  was  originally  constructed  during  the  Ottoman period in typical Ottoman style centered around the mausoleum and is divided by subsequent renovations and additions into three sections. Restorations to the original Mosque were originally done in 1910, at which time the minaret was added as well as a new Mosque structure to the front of the building. Further renovations and additions were mad in 1930 and 1992. Masjid Salman Al-Farisi boasts a wonderful location on the Mount of Olives, close to the many historic and religious sites in the area.