Umayyad Mosque

Lore & Background

The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, is one of the world’s largest and oldest mosques, located in the old city of Damascus, Syria. Its site has been used for worship since the Iron Age, when the Arameans built a temple to their rain god Hadad. During the Hellenistic period, it became associated with Zeus, and after the Roman conquest in 64 BCE, it was transformed into the center of the imperial cult of Jupiter, becoming one of the largest temples in Syria. The mosque’s current walls are the inner walls of that Temple of Jupiter, built between the 1st century BCE and the 4th century CE. Under Byzantine rule, Emperor Theodosius I converted the temple into a cathedral, which served as the seat of the second-highest-ranking bishop in the Patriarchate of Antioch. After the Muslim conquest of Damascus in 634, part of the cathedral was used as a small prayer house for Muslims, with a partition dividing it. As the Muslim community grew, Umayyad caliph al-Walid I confiscated the rest of the cathedral, compensating Christians with other properties. The new mosque was built over nine years by thousands of laborers and artisans from across the Islamic and Byzantine empires, funded by war booty and taxes. It featured a large basilical plan with three parallel aisles and a perpendicular central nave leading to the world’s second concave mihrab. The mosque was renowned for its marble paneling and extensive gold mosaics of vegetal motifs, likely the largest in the world at the time. It is considered the oldest mosque still in use in its original form, maintaining its 8th-century architectural features despite later fires, war damage, and repairs.

Reader's Guide

The Umayyad Mosque innovated and influenced nascent Islamic architecture by introducing a more organized and monumental design compared to earlier mosques. Its construction, funded by war booty and taxes on Arab troops, employed thousands of laborers and artisans from across the Islamic and Byzantine empires. The mosque was noted for its rich marble paneling and extensive gold mosaics of vegetal motifs, likely the largest in the world at the time. Under Abbasid rule, new structures were added, including the Dome of the Treasury and the Minaret of the Bride, while the Mamluks undertook major restoration and added the Minaret of Qaitbay. The mosque enjoyed great prestige throughout its history and was regarded as a 'wonder of the world' by many medieval Muslim writers. Although altered several times due to fire, war damage, and repairs, it is one of the few mosques to maintain the same form and architectural features of its 8th-century construction, as well as its Umayyad character.

Did You Know?

• The current walls of the mosque were the inner walls of the Temple of Jupiter, built from the 1st century BC to the 4th century AD.
• The mosque's construction was funded by war booty and taxes on Arab troops, employing thousands of laborers and artisans from across the Islamic and Byzantine empires.
• The mosque was regarded as a 'wonder of the world' by many medieval Muslim writers.
• It is one of the few mosques to maintain the same form and architectural features of its 8th-century construction.