A new building was present by the end of the 13th century , as evidenced by Arab chronicler al-Dimashqi who , in 1300 , mentions the Great Mosque as “ a fine mosque , in which is prayer is said , and the Qur ' an recited day and night , men being appointed thereto . ” In 1335 , Western traveler James of Verona recorded that the mosque had been “ a church of the Christians but now is a mosque of the Saracens . ” Twenty years later , Ibn Batuta visited it and noted that in the middle of the mosque was a “ tank of sweet water . ” In 1641 , the Great Mosque 's minaret was rebuilt , but the mosque compound had remained virtually untouched throughout most of its later existence until a severe earthquake struck Palestine , especially Nablus in 1927 . The mosque 's dome and minaret were destroyed as a result , but were restored in 1935
a severe earthquake
1927 Jericho earthquake
Great Mosque of Nablus