The mosque was commissioned by the Zangid ruler Badr al-Din Lu'lu' in 1259 CE.

The tomb itself contained a wooden sarcophagus draped in cloth, believed to be the grave of the Sayyid himself.

The mihrab of the original building was removed to the National Museum of Iraq during the 1940s reconstruction.

[2] The mihrab takes the form of a pointed niche which the semidome is articulated with muqarnas.

Framing the niche is an Arabic inscription band containing Qur'anic verses.