Umayyad mosque

The Umayyad mosque lies in the centre of old Damascus and is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. It was built between 706 and 715 on the site of a Christian church dedicated to John the Baptist. The same site had been used as a temple of Jupiter in Roman times. The mosque holds a shrine which is said to contain the head of John the Baptist, honoured as a prophet by Muslims and Christians alike. The mosque is beautifully decorated with Islamic art and a large number of mosaics.


01 Roman temple of Jupiter arch	02 Minaret of Qat Bey	03 Bab al-Barid square	04 Fountain on Bab al-Barid square	05 Pilgrims exiting mosque after noon prayer	06 Pilgrims exiting mosque after noon prayer


07 Minaret of Qat Bey	08 Bab as-Saat gate	09 Pilgrims resting in inner court	10 Dome and transept facade with golden mosaics	11 Inner court and colonnade


12 Transept northern gate	13 Inner court and colonnade	14 Ablution fountain	15 Inner court and colonnade	16 Inner court and colonnade


17 Inner court and transept	18 Transept facade with golden mosaics	19 Mosque interior	20 Chandeliers	21 Decorated pillar


22 Chandelier	23 Mosque interior central part	24 Cupola	25 Mosaic on Bab as-Saat gate	26 Arch


27 Arches	28 Inner court and colonnade at dusk	29 Inner court and colonnade at dusk	30 Minaret of Qat Bey at night	31 Jesus minaret	32 Transept, dome and minaret at night


33 Rear gate	34 Night view of mosque

Other Damascus galleries: Old town ▪ Modern town ▪ Armenian Apostolic Orthodox church ▪ Other churches ▪ Panoramic views

Categories: Historical sites ▪ Tourist attractions ▪ Mosques ▪ Religious sites ▪ Islam

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