The Great Mosque
THE ARCHITECTURE OF UMMAYYAD MOSQUE
After the Muslim conquest of Damascus in 634, the mosque was built on the site of a Christian basilica dedicated to John the Baptist Yahya , honored as a prophet by Christians and Muslims.
built by the Umayyad, al-Walid II between 708 and 715 C.E.
When Damascus became the capital of the Umayyad dynasty, the early 8th century caliph al-Walid envisioned a beautiful mosque at the heart of his new capital city, one that would rival any of the great religious buildings of the Christian world. The growing population of Muslims also required a large congregational mosque.
From the courtyard, one would enter the prayer hall.
though, The prayer hall takes its form from Christian basilicas .
After the Muslim conquest of Damascus in 634, the mosque was built on the site of a Christian basilica dedicated to John the Baptist Yahya , honored as a prophet by Christians and Muslims.
built by the Umayyad, al-Walid II between 708 and 715 C.E.
When Damascus became the capital of the Umayyad dynasty, the early 8th century caliph al-Walid envisioned a beautiful mosque at the heart of his new capital city, one that would rival any of the great religious buildings of the Christian world. The growing population of Muslims also required a large congregational mosque.
From the courtyard, one would enter the prayer hall.
though, The prayer hall takes its form from Christian basilicas .
Additional resources
Ross Burns, The Monuments of Syria: A Guide, revised edition, London: I. B. Tauris, 2009
Ross Burns, Damascus: A History. revised edition, London: Routledge, 2007
Finbarr Barry Flood, The Great Mosque of Damascus: studies on the makings of an Umayyad visual culture, Leiden: Brill, 2001
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