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The Umayyad Mosque is surrounded by the bustling souqs of the Syrian capital Damascus.
Historically it is sacred to both Christians and Muslims containing as
it does the relics of both John the Baptist and the Islamic warrior Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi. but its roots lie in pagan worship practised by the Aramaeans
some 200 years ago. Inscriptions tell us that Roman
legions built a huge temple on the site dedicated to the God
Jupiter. Byzantine rulers subsequently erected a church which was shared
with Muslim worshippers following the Arab conquest of Damascus. The Caliph Walid
1 ordered its demolition and a new mosque was ordered as befitting the
great city of Damascus. The Umayyad Mosque, raised in the early 8th
century, became the biggest Muslim house of worship in the world. Lavishly embellished with gold-worked mural mosaics and Qur`anic
verses, its vast prayer hall supported on massive Corinthian columns was
designed so that the mihrab prayer niche could be seen by every worshipper. The mosque
was severely fire damaged in 1893 but extensive works in 1970 have restored
it for today`s visitors who are mainly Sh`ite pilgrims. On his visit to
Syria in 2001 Pope John
Paul II came to pray at the shrine to St John marking the first occasion
that a Christian pope had ever set foot in a mosque. The entire ancient city
of Damascus was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979.
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