Two shrines inside the premises commemorate the Islamic prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali, whose martyrdom is frequently compared to that of John the Baptist and Jesus. [73] In 1082, his vizier, Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn Fadl, had the central dome restored in a more spectacular form;[74] the two piers supporting it were reinforced and the original Umayyad mosaics of the northern inner faade were renewed. and was completed in 714/15 C.E. Christians retained control of their cathedral, although Muslim worshippers reportedly used the southern wall of the compound when they prayed towards Mecca. The Dome of the Treasury is an octagonal structure decorated with mosaics, standing on eight Roman columns in the western part of the courtyard. Historical background The Umayyad empire at its greatest extent The Umayyad Caliphate was established in 661 after Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad, was murdered in Kufa. Damascus was the capital of the Aramaean state Aram-Damascus and a large temple was dedicated to Hadad-Ramman, the god of thunderstorms and rain, and was erected at the site of the present-day mosque. There is one pier in between every two columns. Unlike the simpler mosques of the time, the Umayyad Mosque had a large basilical plan with three parallel aisles and a perpendicular central nave leading from the mosque's entrance to the world's second concave mihrab (prayer niche). [88], In 1285, the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya started teaching Qur'an exegesis in the mosque. The Great Mosque of Damascus. [64][65] This was accompanied by al-Ma'mun's removal and replacement of Umayyad inscriptions in the mosque. The Umayyad Mosque innovated and influenced nascent Islamic architecture, with other major mosque complexes, including the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain and the al-Azhar Mosque of Egypt, based on its model. Prayer and pilgrimage Pilgrimage to a holy site is a core principle of almost all faiths. Islamic architecture may be identified with the following design elements: large domes; minarets or spire towers(By the 8 th century, in the Great Mosque of Damascus the minaret had become an essential feature of Muslim religious architecture) According to the 9th-century Muslim engineer Musa ibn Shakir, the latter mihrab was built during the mosque's initial construction and it became the third niche-formed mihrab in Islam's history. View of the exterior of the Great Mosque of Damascus in 2008, photo: Ghaylam, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. It is an architectural documentary, visually embodying the political exigencies and . ( Image Source) [132], The Minaret of Qaytbay, or the Western Minaret, was built by Qaytbay in 1488. The Umayyad mosque of Damascus is truly one of the great mosques of the early Islamic world and it is remains one of the worlds most important monuments. The qibla wall has a niche (mihrab), which focuses the faithful in their prayers. To understand the importance of the Great Mosque of Damascus, built by the Umayyad caliph, al-Walid II between 708 and 715 C.E., we need to look into the recesses of time. They are parallel to the direction of prayer which is towards Mecca. [130][131] Some sources claim it was originally built by the Abbasids in the 9th century. [37][51] The earliest known interpretation of the mosaics is by the 10th-century geographer al-Muqaddasi, who suggested a topographical meaning, commenting that "there is hardly a tree or a notable town that has not been pictured on these walls. Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, it is the holiest shrine in Islam. The mihrab and the dome above in the Great Mosque of Cordoba was decorated in blue, green and gold mosaics, evoking his lost Syrian homeland. Saul, or Paul as he is known after his conversion, is said to have converted on the road to Damascus (Acts 9.12; 9.56). The exact year of the minaret's original construction is unknown. [59] The possibility also remains that the mosaic scenes combine more than one of these meanings at the same time; for example, by using paradisal imagery to represent Damascus or the Umayyad realm as an idealized, earthly paradise. [119], Four mihrabs line the sanctuary's rear wall, the main one being the Great Mihrab which is located roughly at the center of the wall. The new structure was built over nine years by thousands of laborers and artisans from across the Islamic and Byzantine empires at considerable expense and was funded by the war booty of Umayyad conquests and taxes on the Arab troops of Damascus. Though the exact form and shape of this temple is unknown, a bas-relief with a sphinx, believed to come from this temple, was reused in the northern wall of the city's Great Mosque. Interior of the Grand Mosque, Damascus by Frederic Leighton (1830-1896), c.1873-1875, from Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library . Many Greek (and later Roman) gods were combined with local gods across the lands controlled by the Greeks and then the Romans. After the Greeks came the invading Roman armies (led by Pompey in 63 B.C.E.). Syrian security forces swiftly quelled the protests and have since cordoned off the area during Friday prayers to prevent large-scale demonstrations. [86] However, the Muslim Mamluks of Egypt, led by Sultan Qutuz and Baybars, wrested control of the city from the Mongols later in the same year, killing Kitbuqa in the Battle of Ain Jalut, and the purpose of the Mosque was returned from Christian to its original Islamic function. Prayer hall, Great Mosque of Damascus with the shrine of Saint John the Baptist in the center, photo: Seier+Seier, CC BY 2.0. An interior shot of the Great Mosque of Damascus (or Umayyad Mosque), in modern-day Syria, with the Shrine of St. John the Baptist visible in the center. [5] The Umayyads made Damascus their capital. The ethereal interior atmosphere is a result of light that pours in from grilled windows located in the drum and exterior walls. Mosaic, Great Mosque of Damascus, 8th century (photo: american rugbier, CC BY-SA 2.0). The exact location of the church is unknown, but it is thought to have been located in the western part of the, View of the the prayer hall from the courtyard of the Great Mosque of Damascus (treasury at right), photo: Erik Shin, CC BY-NC 2.0. Damascus Room | The Metropolitan Museum of Art It is a master piece of architectural ingenuity having a decisive influence on the maturity of mosque architecture all over the Muslim World. There are two light openings near the top of the main tower, before the roof, with horseshoe arches and cubical capitals enclosed in a single arch. The Great Mosque of Isfahan in Iran is unique in this regard and thus enjoys a special place in the history of Islamic architecture. [66] Near the middle of the courtyard, sheltering an ablutions fountain at ground level, is a rectangular pavilion which is a modern reconstruction of a late Ottoman pavilion.[124]. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The Great Mosque (or Masjid-e Jameh) of Isfahan - Smarthistory For millennia before the birth of Islam, however, the city of Damascus was a sacred site of ancient and long forgotten cultures. Prominent imams, including Ibn Asakir, preached a spiritual jihad ('struggle') and when the Crusaders advanced towards Damascus in 1148, the city's residents heeded their calls; the Crusader army withdrew as a result of their resistance.[78]. [12][13] While the church (and the temples before it) had the main building located at the centre of the rectangular enclosure, the mosque's prayer hall is placed against its south wall. [64] However, the Abbasids did consider the mosque to be a major symbol of Islam's triumph, and thus it was spared the systematic eradication of the Umayyad legacy in the city. "[37] An early example of the Paradise interpretation dates from the writings of Ibn al-Najjar in the 12th century. Professor Alain George has re-examined the architecture and design of this first mosque on the site via three previously untranslated poems and the descriptions of medieval scholars. 23 Puerta de San Esteban, interior, Great Mosque of Cordoba. [93][94] The Minaret of Jesus was burnt down in a fire in 1392. Ananias had a vision that told him to go and care for Paul and when he touched Paul at Judas house, the scales fell from Pauls eyes and he could see. By 1650 members of the mercantile and scholarly Mahasini family held the position, retaining it for much of the 18th and early and mid-19th centuries, partly due to their links with the Shaykh al-Islam in the imperial capital. The entire sanctuary measures 136 meters (446ft) by 37 meters (121ft) and takes up the southern half of the mosque complex. Scholars now think that the mosaics were either created by local artisans, or possibly by Egyptian artisans (since Egypt also has a long tradition of decorating domes with mosaics). The Mihrab of the Sahaba, named after the sahaba ('companions of Muhammad') is situated in the eastern half. The Ottomans fully restored the mosque, largely maintaining the original layout. The following are structures found within the Mosque that bear great importance: Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Contents See Subject Home > Middle East > Syria > Damascus > Umayyad Mosque Share Tweet Overview [19][20] Coptic craftsmen as well as Persian, Indian, Greek, and Moroccan laborers provided the bulk of the labor force which consisted of 12,000 people. The Great Mosque of Damascus ( Umayyad Mosque) is one of the very first monumental works of architecture in Islamic history; the building served as a central gathering point after Mecca to consolidate the Muslims in their faith and conquest to rule the surrounding territories under the Umayyad Caliphate. In line with the mihrab of the Great Mosque is a massive dome and a transept to accommodate a large number of worshippers. At this time, the temple of Hadad was converted into a Temple of Zeus-Hadad. Zeus was a natural choice for assimilation; he ruled the Greek pantheon and was associated with weather and, of course, thunder bolts. m an III's (d. 961) decision to declare himself caliph in 929, al-Andalus became the most important arts and knowledge-based centre in the western Mediterranean, directly competing with the Abbasid and Fatimid caliphates, as well as the Byzantine Empire. [23] The mosaics depict landscapes and buildings in a characteristic late Roman style. Although a fire in the 1890s badly damaged the courtyard and interior, much of the rich mosaic program, which dates primarily to the early 8th . Each of the arcades contain two levels. It was intended to be the congregational place, where all Muslim could perform their worship and religious rituals. There are tower-like minarets at the corners of the mosque and courtyard; the southern minarets are built on the Roman-Byzantine corner towers and are probably the earliest minarets in Syria. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Although the great temple to Jupiter marked the spiritual heart of the city for several centuries, just as it was completed, a new cult to a single God was developing: Christianity. We created Smarthistory to provide students around the world with the highest-quality educational resources for art and cultural heritagefor free. [68], By the early 10th century, a monumental water clock had been installed by the entrance in the western part of the southern wall of the mosque, which was consequently known as Bab al-Sa'a ('Gate of the Clock') at the time but is known today as Bab al-Ziyada. The domed interior was reserved for the use of the ruler and gives access to the main mihrab of the mosque. The Great Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Umayyad Mosque is the holiest building of the Muslim world after Mecca and Medina. While almost nothing survives archaeologically from this period, Greek became the dominant language and the culture became Hellenized (influenced by Greek culture). It was the first time a pope paid a visit to a mosque. [117] The courtyard and its arcades contain the largest preserved remnants of the mosque's Umayyad-era mosaic decoration. 886 Great Mosque Of Damascus Stock Photos & High-Res Pictures The Great Mosque of Damascus is one of the earliest surviving congregational mosques in the world. Updates? A large stretch of mosaics along the inner wall of the western portico, sometimes known as the "Barada panel", contains original Umayyad fragments, late 13th-century fragments from the time of the Mamluk sultan, sfn error: no target: CITEREFAmerican_Architect_and_Architecture1894 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFMannheim2001 (. . The mosque was completed in 711,[19][20] or in 715, shortly after al-Walid's death, by his successor, Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik (r. The Umayyad mosque of Damascus is truly one of the great mosques of the early Islamic world and it is remains one of the worlds most important monuments. Some Syrio-Roman fragments remain in the structure, as does a shrine supposedly enclosing a relic honoured by Muslims as well as some Christians as the head of St. John the Baptist. By using these well-established architectural and artistic forms, the Umayyads were coopting and transforming the artistic traditions of earlier, once dominant religions and empires. The mosaics and architecture of the Great Mosque signaled this new prominence to an audience that was still predominantly Christian, that Islam was as powerful a religion as Christianity. It is also one of the significant buildings that has great mosaic mural panels on the facades and interior walls, sculptures on column capitals and marvelous patterns carved in wood, stucco and marble work, that are . Omissions? [117], In the courtyard (sahn), the level of the stone pavement had become uneven over time due to several repairs throughout the mosque's history. [83] The minaret was later rebuilt with little decoration. [128] It is generally believed that both the Minaret of Jesus and the Western Minaret were built on the foundation of ancient Roman towers. Smarthistorys free, award-winning digital content unlocks the expertise of hundreds of leading scholars, making the history of art accessible and engaging to more people, in more places, than any other publisher. However, there is no apse towards which one would pray. The influence of the mosque and its artistry can be seen as far as a way as Cordoba, Spain, where the 8th century Umayyad ruler, Abd al-Rahman (the only survivor of a massive family assassination that sparked the Abbasid Revolution), had fled. Corrections? The subject of the mosaics remains debated to this day, with scholars arguing that the mosaics either represent heaven, based on an interpretation of Quranic verse, or the local landscape (including the Barada River). Map of Mecca, Saudi Arabia ( NormanEinstein, CC BY-SA 3.0 Interior decoration of Taj-al-Mulk (north) dome (photo: Matt Werner, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) The second domed room lies on a longitudinal axis right across the double-arcaded courtyard. View of the the prayer hall from the courtyard of the Great Mosque of Damascus (treasury at right), photo: Erik Shin, CC BY-NC 2.0. One stone remains from the Aramaean temple, dated to the rule of King Hazael, and is currently on display in the National Museum of Damascus. [75] The Seljuk atabeg of Damascus, Toghtekin (r.11041128), repaired the northern wall in 1110 and two inscribed panels located above its doorways were dedicated to him. Golden mosaics depicting jewels shimmer in this glittering light. [42], Scholars have long debated the meaning of the mosaic imagery. [53] Other motifs in the mosaics have been cited to support a paradisal meaning and the imagery has been compared with both the descriptions of Paradise in the Qur'an and the earlier iconography of paradisal imagery in Late Antique art. Harris Museum . Legend had it that his head was buried there. Attached to the Minaret of the Bride is the 18th-century replica of the 14th-century sundial built by Ibn al-Shatir. [6] Great Mosque of Damascus, also called Umayyad Mosque, the earliest surviving stone mosque, built between 705 and 715 ce by the Umayyad Caliph al-Wald I, who proclaimed to his citizens: People of Damascus, four things give you a marked superiority over the rest of the world: your climate, your water, your fruits, and your baths. [61] Another restoration occurred after 1401 and this version, which survived until another fire in 1893, was again decorated with miniature arcades, while its semi-dome was filled with coffering similar to Roman architecture. [111] The methods and concepts of Assad's restoration project were heavily criticized by UNESCO,[clarification needed] but the general approach in Syria was that the mosque was more of a symbolic monument rather than a historical one and thus, its renovation could only enhance the mosque's symbolism.[112]. Restitutions carried out to other sections after 1963 have been heavily criticized for their inauthenticity. . It was paid for with the state tax revenue raised over the course of seven years, a prodigious sum of money. The Great Umayyad Mosque - Muslim HeritageMuslim Heritage The first, wider wall spanned a wide area that included a market, and the second wall surrounded the actual sanctuary of Jupiter. PDF Fayrose Mohammed Mahmoud Ibraheem Abstract The architecture and the plants depicted in the mosaics have clear origins in the artistic traditions of the Mediterranean. In 661, the Islamic Caliphate came under the rule of the Umayyad dynasty, which chose Damascus to be the administrative capital of the Muslim world.
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