This Great Mosque stands at the heart of the Old city at the end of Souq alHamidiyeh. It was built by the Omayyad Caliph al-Walid ibn Abdul Malek in 705
A.D. when Damascus was the capital of the Arab Islamic Empire.
A prominent feature of it are the three minarets built in different styles; the
upper parts of which were renovated during the Ayoubite , Mamluk , and
Ottoman eras. The mosque has a large prayer hall and an enormous courtyard.
The interior walls are covered with mosaic panels, made of colored and gilded
glass, portraying scenes from nature. The dome is greyich-blue, celebrated for its
magnificence. The prayer hall contains domed shrine venerated by both
Christians and Muslims, the tomb of St. John the Baptist.
