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Umayyad Mosque

Old City

The Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Umayyad Mosque, was built between 705 and 715 CE by Caliph Al-Walid I on a site sacred since the Iron Age. It is one of the oldest and largest mosques in the Islamic world and a masterpiece of Umayyad architecture, with a marble prayer hall, three minarets, and a large courtyard.

Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_Mosque), accessed 2026-08; credibility: 4.

Established

715

Original function

Roman Temple of Jupiter, then Christian basilica dedicated to John the Baptist

Current function

Active mosque and major Islamic shrine

Significance

One of the oldest and largest mosques in the world and a defining monument of early Islamic architecture.

Associated figures

  • 1217

Connected places

  • 1148