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The Levant
The Umayyad Mosque (Damascus)
Damascus, Syria
Among the wonders of Umayyad architecture, offering the world the model of the grand ornamented mosque. It contains the shrine of Yahya (John the Baptist) and a memorial of Imam al-Husayn, with golden Umayyad mosaics surviving 1,300 years.
Story & history
Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik built it in about ten years with craftsmen from Constantinople and Egypt; it remained Damascus's treasury of knowledge for centuries and its sultans renewed it after fires.
Getting there
Pin the site on the map or head straight there with your maps app; opening hours and access vary by season.
Quick facts
- Golden mosaics from the Umayyad era
- Three famous historic minarets
- Among the oldest surviving mosques
Visiting tip
Focus on the interior mosaics and the historic shrines.