When the fountain here was built by Turkish governor Mohammed Abu Najat Aja in the early 19th century, it had six pillars and an arched roof, providing shade as well as water. The archway just beyond formed the entrance to the hamam, or old Turkish baths. In the late 19th century a separate entrance was built into the east wall to save the governor and other dignitaries the bother of having to push through the market-square crowds at the main entrance, on the south wall. The mosque managed to escape the fate of other sites in Jaffa that were destroyed during the War of Independence. With a minaret and two colorful domes, this is one of the local Muslim community's most important mosques and is not usually open to the general public.