The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, is one of the largest, oldest, and most important mosques in the world, said to be the fourth-holiest site in Islam. The mosque is named for the Umayyad Caliphate, whose capital was Damascus, Syria. Its caliph al-Walid I commissioned its construction in 706, and it was completed in 715, with a large building and three tall minarets.
History[]
The Umayyad Mosque used to be a temple to the goddess Jupiter of Roman mythology during the Roman Empire, but it later became a Christian basilica under the Byzantine Empire. The church was rumored to have held the head of John the Baptist, the adoptive father of Jesus who was executed in 32 AD by the Romans. In 706 AD, Caliph al-Walid I commissioned the construction of a great mosque in the city of Damascus, which had fallen to the Arabs in 634 AD after they defeated the Byzantines. The mosque's construction was completed in 715 AD, and it was one of the largest mosques, being a great example of Umayyad power from their capital of Damascus. It was located in the Rich District, and most of the people attending services were upper-class Muslims. The Umayyad Mosque had three minarets: the Minaret of Jesus, Minaret of the Bride, and Minaret of Quayt Bey, with the Minaret of Jesus being the highest.