Shaykh Fathi al-Mawsili was a celebrated Sufi mystic and musician of the eighth and ninth centuries — a companion, according to some accounts, of the great Sufi teacher Bishr al-Hafi, and a figure remembered for his devotion and for the particular quality of his spiritual states. His shrine in Mosul has been a place of Sufi veneration for over a thousand years, a quiet counterpoint to the more monumental mosques and churches that draw visitors to the city.
The shrine is in the western part of the city and offers a glimpse into the Sufi dimension of Mosul's Islamic life, which has been less publicized than its architectural monuments but is equally deep-rooted. It is a working religious site, and visitors should dress and behave accordingly.