[71] In 1069, large sections of the mosque, particularly the northern wall, were destroyed in a fire as a result of an uprising by the city's residents against the Fatimids' Berber army who were garrisoned there. [8] Ibn al-Faqih relays that during the construction of the mosque, workers found a cave-chapel which had a box containing the head of John the Baptist, known as Yahya ibn Zakariya by Muslims. How does the Great Mosque at Damascus reflect the Umayadd's admiration for Roman civilization? The attempt failed as the Mamluks burned the catapults before they were placed in the mosque. Its 8th-century mosaics were largely remade in the late 20th-century restoration. [4] The Temple of Jupiter would attain further additions during the early Roman period, mostly initiated by high priests who collected contributions from the wealthy citizens of Damascus. Alain George and Andrew Marsham, editors, Power, Patronage, and Memory in Early Islam Perspectives on Umayyad Elites, New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. [12][13] The musalla did not have the capacity to house the rapidly growing number of Muslim worshippers in Damascus. Areas of original mosaic work generally appear darker today than areas of new (restored) mosaics. The Seljuk ruler Tutush (r.10791095) initiated the repair of damage caused by the 1069 fire. [107] The restoration process, which lasted nine years, did not attempt to reproduce the original decoration. Herod built a theater whose remains can still be seen in the basement and ground floor of a house called Bayt al- Aqqad (now the Danish Institute). Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Bohemond VI of Antioch, one of the Western Christian generals in the invasion, ordered Catholic Mass to be performed in the Umayyad Mosque. He demolished and completely rebuilt the unstable qibla wall and moved the Bab al-Ziyadah gate to the east. It is supported by the central interior arcade and has openings along its parameter. The oldest part of the minaret, or the main tower, is square in shape, has four galleries,[128] and consists of two different forms of masonry; the base consists of large blocks, while the upper section is built of dressed stone. While almost nothing survives archaeologically from this period, Greek became the dominant language and the culture became Hellenized (influenced by Greek culture). Unlike many of Syrias historic buildings and archaeological sites, the mosque has survived the Syrian Civil War relatively unscathed and hopefully, will one day again welcome Syrians and tourists alike. It was probably one of the largest churches in the Christian world and served as a major center of Christianity until 636 C.E. [105][106] A laborer engaging in repair work accidentally started the fire when he was smoking his nargila (water pipe). Christians retained control of their cathedral, although Muslim worshippers reportedly used the southern wall of the compound when they prayed towards Mecca. [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. [135][136][137] A Christian tradition dating to the 6th century developed an association between the former cathedral structure and John the Baptist. There are other strong connections to the visual traditions of the Mediterranean world to Ptolemaic architecture in Egypt, to the architecture of the Treasury at Petra, and the wall paintings of Pompeii. Islamic city Detail of a mosaic from the Great Mosque, Damascus, Syria. The architecture and the plants depicted in the mosaics have clear origins in the artistic traditions of the Mediterranean. 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. [53] Another clue is an account by historian Ibn Zabala in 814, which reports that one of the mosaicists who worked for al-Walid's reconstruction of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina (contemporary with the construction in Damascus) directly explained the mosaics there as a reproduction of the trees and palaces of Paradise,[54] which suggests that the contemporary Umayyad mosaics in Damascus had the same intention. The Minaret of the Bride is divided into two sections; the main tower and the spire which are separated by a lead roof. Supervisory and clerical positions were reserved for Ottoman officials while religious offices were held mostly by members of the local ulema (Muslim scholars). The Minaret of Isa on the southeast corner, the Minaret of Qaytbay (also called Madhanat al-Gharbiyya) on the southwest corner, and the Minaret of the Bride located along the northern wall. Scholars traditionally attributed the creation of these mosaics to artisans from Constantinople because a twelfth-century text claimed that the Byzantine emperor had sent mosaicists to Damascus. [121] With a height of 36 meters (118ft), the dome rests on an octagonal substructure with two arched windows on each of its sides. View of the the prayer hall from the courtyard of the Great Mosque of Damascus (treasury at right), photo: Courtyard fountain and the dome of the clock in the distance, Great Mosque of Damascus, photo: Thom May, CC BY-NC 2.0. [83] The minaret was later rebuilt with little decoration. Though by this point the Umayyads were a largely Islamic group, it appears that al-Walid continued to allow the practice of Christianity in the region. The city otherwise lacked sufficient free space for a large congregational mosque. [16][21] The historian Khalid Yahya Blankinship notes that the field army of Damascus, numbering some 45,000 soldiers, were taxed a quarter of their salaries for nine years to pay for its construction. Patron(s): Al-Walid ibn 'Abd al-Malik (r. AH 86-9 / AD 705-15). The site of the Umayyad Mosque is attested for as a place of worship since the Iron Age. Since its establishment, the mosque has served as a model for congregational mosque architecture in Syria as well as globally. [27][28] Arabic sources indicated that they were former Roman towers which already stood at the corners of the temenos before the mosque's construction and were simply left intact and reused after construction. The following are structures found within the Mosque that bear great importance: For an important cemetery in Old Damascus, see. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The term 'varietas' has been used to describe the combination of various different column capitals, often re-used, in late antique churches at Rome and elsewhere in the West. [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. [72], The Sunni Muslim Seljuk Turks gained control of the city in 1078 and restored the nominal rule of the Abbasid Caliphate. [5] The eastern gateway of the courtyard was expanded during the reign of Septimius Severus (r. It was paid for with the state tax revenue raised over the course of seven years, a prodigious sum of money. It may have survived into the 14th century. A 1st-century Hellenic temple to Jupiter was built during the Roman era, and a later church of St. John the Baptist was erected on its foundation. [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]. by DR. ELIZABETH MACAULAY-LEWIS Figure 2.4. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. A mihrab is used in a mosque to identify the wall that faces Meccathe birth place of Islam in what is now Saudi Arabia. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports concerning the mosque, and historic events associated with it. [119], The central dome of the mosque is known as the 'Dome of the Eagle' (Qubbat an-Nisr) and located atop the center of the prayer hall. The upper segment was constructed in 1174. The Mihrab of the Sahaba, named after the sahaba ('companions of Muhammad') is situated in the eastern half. The courtyard contains an elevated treasury and a structure know as the Dome of the Clock, whose purpose is not fully understood. Even in a land as ancient as the Middle East the city of Damascus stands out. This church is attributed to the Emperor Theodosius in 391 C.E. The oldest stone mosque still in existence is the Great Mosque of Damascus, Syria, which dates to ad 705-715. The best-preserved remains are still visible in the courtyard today. The Umayyad Mosque's prestige allowed the residents of Damascus to establish the city as a center for Sunni intellectualism, enabling them to maintain relative independence from Fatimid religious authority. 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). Two covered galleries are situated in the main body and two open galleries are located on the spire. 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 citys Great Mosque. Each of the arcades contain two levels. However, recent scholarship has challenged this as the text that made this claim was written from a Christian perspective and is much later than the mosaics. Again, the earlier structures directly influenced the present form. A transept with a central octagonal dome, originally wooden, cuts across the aisles at their midpoint. The complex is composed of a prayer hall and a large open courtyard with a fountain for ablutions (washing) before prayer. [7], In 391, the Temple of Jupiter was converted into a cathedral by the Christian emperor Theodosius I (r. [31] The walls of the prayer hall were raised above the level of the old temenos walls, which allowed for new windows to be inserted in the upper walls. He will then confront the Antichrist. [90], The Mamluk viceroy of Syria, Tankiz, carried out restoration work in the mosque in 13261328. 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