Umayyad Mosque

The Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world, and arguably the most celebrated Islamic monument in the city. Built between 705 and 715 CE on the orders of Caliph al-Walid I, it stands on a site that has been sacred for millennia – first a temple to the Aramaean god Hadad, then a Roman temple of Jupiter, later the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.

The mosque complex covers a vast rectangular courtyard measuring approximately 157 by 100 metres. The courtyard is paved with geometrically patterned marble and features an elegant ablution fountain covered by a domed canopy. Three minarets rise from the walls: the Minaret of the Bride (the oldest, dating to the 9th century), the Minaret of Jesus (so named because local tradition holds that Jesus will descend here before the Last Judgement), and the Minaret of Qayt Bay.

Inside the prayer hall, the magnificent mosaics depict fantastical landscapes, palaces, and rivers – often interpreted as representations of paradise. A shrine within the mosque is said to contain the head of John the Baptist (Yahya in Islam), revered by both Muslims and Christians. The mosque has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Ancient City of Damascus since 1979.