Located by the river Abu Ali, which runs through the old northern part of Tripoli, Al Bortassi Mosque is one of the most beautiful Mamlouki Mosquee in the Arab world.

Many travelers have referred to it and described it. Al-Atifeh said,

There is a mosque known as Al-Bortassi. From the door through which one enters up to the mihrab (the preacher’s seat or cathedra) there is marble running round which fascinates the visitors who contemplate it. The same goes for the faces of the walls. The ceiling of arcades inlaid with colored stones like so many stars gives the place a poetic aspect.

One notices a basin of water set with a multicolored mosaic, helping to make this one of the most beautiful mosques of Tripoli, where one can see Byzantine, Fatimid, Moroccan and Andalusian influence, and as for the mihrab, it is without any doubt one of the most beautiful of those to be seen in Mameluke mosques anywhere.

It is decorated with golden mosaic showing floral designs and with crossings constructed with marble of a variety of colors. Its mizinat bears imprints from the Ommayads, Andalusians and even Moroccans. It is held together by a carved chain, an architectural masterpiece, and surrounded by recesses for students of the Ash-Shafiyi community.