The Yasser Arafat Mausoleum was inaugurated on the third anniversary of Arafat's death. It is located in the same compound Arafat was confined to before his death in 2004. The mausoleum's design is seen as an escape from the typical neo-classical influences in State buildings.The irregular site covers 6,550 m² and includes a burial chamber and a prayer pavilion oriented towards Mecca, placed in an open landscaped setting. The complex is accessed by a widening ramp leading up to the burial chamber, which consists of an 11-meter-sided cubic form filled with light, placed on a smaller low pedestal in a reflecting pool. These elements work to give it an open and floating character. The prayer pavilion is located south of the path between the chamber and the southwest of the site. A simple meditative space carved in Jerusalem stone, it is ornate with a calligraphic frieze featuring Quranic inscriptions. The calligraphic frieze is also found in the slender free-standing minaret west of the prayer area. 

Entrance towards the Mosque

Source: Jafar Tukan Architects

© Jafar Tukan Architects

Mass Plan

Source: Jafar Tukan Architects

© Jafar Tukan Architects