The Great Mosque of Damascus was constructed between 706-715 CE during the Umayyad Caliphate. It was built using the preexisting square towers of a Roman structure and incorporated the first minarets. The interior walls contain stone mosaics depicting paradisiacal scenes to represent Paradise for Muslims. Both it and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem popularized the use of domes and the Syrian cut-stone building technique.

1. Great Mosque of
Damascus
Casey Vanneste
Great Mosque of Damascus (Syria),
706-715
Umayyads/2nd Caliphate/
preexisting Roman square towers/
minarets

2. The city of Damascus

3. History
 Great Mosque of
Damascus (Syria), 706-715
Umayyads/2nd Caliphate/
preexisting Roman square
towers/ minarets

4.  The interior walls of Great
Mosque of Damascus have stone
mosaics that depict crowns,
fantastic plants, realistic trees, and
even empty towns.
 This is thought to represent
Paradise for the faithful Muslim.
 Both the Dome of the Rock in
Jerusalem and The Great Mosque
of Damascus used the Syrian cut-
stone technique of building and
popularized the use of the dome.

5. The minaret in the
southeastern
corner is called
the Minaret of
Jesus, because
of a Muslim
tradition that this
is where Jesus
will appear on the

6. Prayer room
http://www.3dmekanlar.com/en/umayyad-
mosque.html

7. Interior

8. Inside
the
Mosque
 small shrines
 John the Baptist (Prophet Yahia to the Muslims)
 Zechariah
 the son of Imam Ali (the son in law of Muhammad
"p.b.a.h").
 the father of St. John the Baptist or the head of
Hussein
 Adjacent to the prayer hall, along the eastern wall
of the courtyard, is the entrance to a finely tiled
shrine chamber.
The place where the head of
Husayn was kept on display by
Yazīd.

9. Left: Main entrance to the prayer
hall of the Great Mosque of
Damascus
Below: Spandrel mosaic from the
Great Mosque of Damascus