Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

Subject: Umayyad Mosque in Damascus 13/11/2010, 10:19 pm

The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria is one of the oldest and thelargest mosques in the worlds. It is known for its intricatearchitectural beauty. Sometimes, it is also called the Grand Mosque ofDamascus. The elegant color combination with the lighting makes themosque even more beautiful. The tomb stands in a garden that isadjacent to the wall of the mosque. The mosque holds a memorial andcontains the head of John the Baptist, who is said to be honored as agreat prophet and preacher by both Christian and Muslims.Damascus is said to be the oldest colonized city in the world andthe mosques is located on the land that is considered the most sacredground. The mosque has been created for over 3000 years starting in1000 BC, on the same ground, a temple was made for Hadad, who happensto be the god of storm and lightening. In the north east corner of themosque a sphinx has been discovered.A huge Temple of Jupiter was built over the Aramean Temple by theRomans in the 1st century AD. The temple was made on a raisedrectangular platform with square corners on all four sides. It wasduring the 4th century that the temple became a church. The temple wasbroken and a church was built and was dedicated to a Baptist calledJohn. The Muslim took over the Damascus in 636; however, it did notaffect the church. The building today is shared by both the Christiansand Muslim Pilgrims.

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