This mosque was one of the most important fortresses in Beirut. It was built on the coast and it is an extension of Souk Al-Tawilé from the sea side that it overhangs. The under-ground was used as a warehouse for merchants, especially wood merchants. Around 1842 (1257 Hegira year), the Muslims of Beirut raised funds and added a small house to the fortress from the West side, before converting it into a mosque. They gave it the name Al-Majidiyyeh in 1844 (1260 Hegira year) as a gratitude to the Sultan Abdul Majid (sultan between 1839 and 1861) who supported them.
Afterwards, they refined the interior court and the roof, and opened the door that leads to the Port road through stone stairs. In 1840, during the siege on Beirut, the ally ships (Great Britain, Russia, and Austria), at war with the Egyptian army, shelled the fortress that hadn’t been converted into a mosque yet.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the bombing traces were still visible on the northern façade. During the Lebanese war (1975-1990), this mosque was destroyed. It was rebuilt by the General administration of the Islamic Pious Foundations (Waqf) who added another higher minaret near the old one.
