Message on the subject of the Umayyad Mosque Damascus. Grand Mosque in Damascus

This is one of the most famous mosques in the world. It was built on the site of previous more ancient temples. Three thousand years ago, the Aramaic temple of the god Hadad stood here. At the beginning of our era, the "palm" was taken over by the Romans. They erected the temple of Jupiter, which was destroyed by the Byzantine emperor Theodosius at the end of the 4th century. Many colonnades around the mosque remained from the ancient temple, apparently Theodosius did not try very hard. He built a huge basilica of St. John. The Muslims who captured Damascus for a long time used this cathedral along with the Christians. Christians prayed in the eastern part of the basilica, and Muslims in the western.

In 708, Caliph Walid confiscated the building of the Cathedral of St. John, providing Christians with other churches. He began to build a mosque worthy of his huge caliphate. The Umayyad Mosque was built over 10 years. It must be said that the builders largely preserved the ancient walls of the cathedral and the three main gates. The three minarets of the mosque also have ancient foundations.

The western wall of the mosque and the minaret of the Prophet Muhammad.

The minaret was restored after a fire by the Mamluk Sultan Kait Bey in 1488. Therefore, it is often called the Kait-bey minaret.

Here is the main entrance to the mosque - the Bab al-Barid gate. On the square in front of this gate is the entrance to the famous market - Souq al-Hamidia, so it is always very crowded here.
Gate of Bab al-Barid (view from the courtyard)

I entered the mosque through the northern gate - Bab al-Faradis. The entrance to the mosque is paid, but here they didn’t take a ticket from me, it costs some pennies - a little more than a dollar. Perhaps the gatekeepers were too lazy to bother with me. The only thing they follow very strictly is that women wear special capes.

Gateway to Paradise...Bab al-Faradis

The northern minaret or minaret of the Bride dates back to the beginning of the 8th century.

Minaret of the Bride and azan in the Umayyad Mosque

In the center of the courtyard there is a fountain for ablutions - Kubbat an-Nofara

At the western portal stands an interesting building - the treasury of Kubbat al-Khazna (787). There is no access to it directly from the ground; there are similar treasuries in many Islamic mosques.

Numerous mosaics of the western portal brought fame to the courtyard of the mosque. The panel depicting the Gardens of Eden stands out in particular.

Paradise garden and palaces in it.

The mosaics were made by Byzantine masters back in the time of Caliph Walid, and then were plastered over by some very pious successor of his. This is what has served to ensure that they have come down to us in good condition.

Mosaic on the facade of the prayer hall.

Southeast minaret of the prophet Isa - Jesus Christ. According to local legend, he will descend to earth along this minaret on the eve of the Last Judgment ...

Details of the ancient basilica - the predecessor of the current mosque.

Central mihrab and minbar of the Umayyad Mosque

Chapel of St. John the Baptist (aka the prophet Yahya in the Koran). Here is the head of the saint, as if found in 705 during the reconstruction of the basilica into a mosque.

Prayer at the Umayyad Mosque

Between the male and female parts of the prayer hall there is a kind of "alienation" strip - an empty space...

Men, of course, are closer to mihrabs.

Women's "gallery"

Alone with the Lord...

This is one of the most famous mosques in the world. It was built on the site of previous more ancient temples. Three thousand years ago, the Aramaic temple of the god Hadad stood here. At the beginning of our era, the "palm" was taken over by the Romans. They erected the temple of Jupiter, which was destroyed by the Byzantine emperor Theodosius at the end of the 4th century. Many colonnades around the mosque remained from the ancient temple, apparently Theodosius did not try very hard. He built a huge basilica of St. John. The Muslims who captured Damascus used this cathedral for a long time along with the Christians. Christians prayed in the eastern part of the basilica, and Muslims in the western.

The minaret was restored after a fire by the Mamluk Sultan Kait Bey in 1488. Therefore, it is often called the minaret of Kait-bey.

I entered the mosque through the northern gate - Bab al-Faradis. The entrance to the mosque is paid, but here they did not demand a ticket from me, although it costs some pennies - a little more than a dollar. Probably, the gatekeepers were too lazy to bother with me, the only thing they follow very strictly is that women wear special capes, which are immediately distributed or sold, I did not specify ...
Gateway to Paradise...Bab al-Faradis

The northern minaret or minaret of the Bride dates back to the beginning of the 8th century.

Minaret of the Bride and azan in the Umayyad Mosque

In the center of the courtyard there is a fountain for ablutions - Kubbat an-Nofara

At the western portal there is an interesting building - the treasury of Kubbat al-Khazna (787). There is no access to it directly from the ground; there are similar treasuries in many Islamic mosques.

Numerous mosaics of the western portal brought fame to the courtyard of the mosque. The panel depicting the Gardens of Eden stands out in particular.
Paradise garden and palaces in it.

The mosaics were made by Byzantine masters back in the days of Caliph Walid, and then they were plastered over by some very pious successor. This is what has served to ensure that they have come down to us in good condition.

Mosaic on the facade of the prayer hall.

Southeast minaret of the prophet Isa - Jesus Christ. According to local legend, he will descend to earth along this minaret on the eve of the Last Judgment ...

Details of the ancient basilica - the predecessor of the current mosque.

Central mihrab and minbar of the Umayyad Mosque
Chapel of St. John the Baptist (aka the prophet Yahya in the Koran). Here is the head of the saint, as if found in 705 during the reconstruction of the basilica into a mosque.

Prayer at the Umayyad Mosque

Between the male and female parts of the prayer hall there is a kind of "alienation" strip - an empty space...

Men, of course, are closer to mihrabs.
Women's "gallery"

Alone with the Lord...

The era of the reign of the Umayyads (661-750), the first dynasty of the Arab Caliphate, was marked by the complete victory of Islam over a vast territory from to Afghanistan. The lands that for centuries were in the orbit of the Greco-Roman, and then the Byzantine culture, in a matter of years became part of a completely different world. This became possible only thanks to the balanced policy of the first caliphs, who were tolerant of Christians and Jews and willingly borrowed the achievements of the local culture from the conquered lands.

The Arab nomads had no idea of monumental architecture; Muslims prayed in the open air, and the first mosques were just fenced yards. However, faced with the urban culture of the Middle East, the caliphs realized its many charms and wished to confirm the victory of Islam by building impressive cult monuments. The best masters of Persia, regardless of their religion, were involved in the exciting process of creating new architecture.

A valuable landmark of the era was the Umayyad Mosque (Jam Bani Umai), built in the new capital of the empire, the city of Damascus (Syria) in 715. The place where the mosque was built was considered sacred for two thousand years. In the first millennium BC. e. here stood the Aramaic temple of the god Hadad; in the Roman era, a temple to Jupiter was erected in its place. Emperor Theodosius ordered him to destroy and build the Christian church of John the Baptist. When the Muslims captured Damascus, they did not destroy the church and did not take it away from the Christians, but prayed in the temple with them, because they revered the Baptist under the name of the prophet Yahya. However, then Caliph al-Walid I bought the church in the Christian community, ordered to dismantle and build a mosque in its place.

In full accordance with the tastes of the first Muslims, the Umayyad Mosque is an open rectangular courtyard that can accommodate many hundreds of believers. However, the perimeter of this courtyard is decorated with a two-tier colonnade, made in Byzantine forms, and in the direction of Mecca rises a huge three-aisled prayer hall, which differs little from the Byzantine basilica. Greek craftsmen covered the outer walls and galleries of the hall with wonderful mosaics, which in their style still do not resemble Arabic art in any way. Cypress trees, flowers and birds, landscapes of cities with domes and colonnades seem to have descended from an Orthodox icon, and the golden background of the mosaic, changing and shimmering under the southern sun, makes us recall the walls of the churches of Ravenna and Constantinople.

Muslims greatly revere the ancient shrine. They claim that it contains the real head of John the Baptist and it is here that the prophet Isa, whom we know under the name of Jesus Christ, will appear on earth during the second coming.

Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on the map

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Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the oldest cities in the world, about 6,000 years old. For such a long history of its existence, the city has seen many peoples and conquerors: in the XIV century BC. e. The Hittites, who lived in Anatolia and northern Syria, reached this ancient settlement and called it Damashias. A century and a half later, the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III, who waged endless wars with the city-states of Syria, also captured Damascus: that was the Egyptian name of this city.

At the beginning of the X century BC. e. Damascus became the capital of one of the strongest Aramean kingdoms, and two centuries later the city was captured by the Assyrians, who evicted its inhabitants to Urartu. The rulers of the Achaemenid dynasty, Alexander the Great ... - even a brief listing of the conquerors who attacked Damascus suggests that the fate of this city was not cloudless and prosperous. The conquerors came and went, leaving their traces in the appearance of the city and its history.

The thousand-year connection of Damascus with Greco-Roman-Byzantine culture, which began after the invasion of Asia by the troops of Alexander the Great, ended as suddenly as it began. With just one storm, the Sassanian Persians captured the city, but already in 635 the Arabs conquered it, and from that time the history of Damascus as a Muslim city begins.

For a long time, after the Arabs captured Damascus, both Christians (in the right wing of the temple) and Muslims (in the left wing) performed their religious rites in the main temple of the city. But, having finally established themselves in Damascus and made the city the capital of their empire, the Umayyads asked the Christians to find another place for themselves, but for a long time mutual religious tolerance remained in Syria: the ringing of bells under the giant basilica, originally dedicated to John the Baptist, alternated with the call of the muezzin.

But time passed, and Damascus from a second-rate city, as it was during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and his first successors, turned into the capital of a huge caliphate. The city grew, prospered and grew rich, and the caliphs rightly decided that Damascus should have its own sanctuary. In addition, by the beginning of the 8th century, the number of adherents of Islam had increased so much that the grandiose basilica of John the Baptist with its three 140-meter spans-naves could no longer accommodate all Muslims, and there was no place for Christians there at all. And then the powerful caliph al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik, whose possessions stretched from China (in the east) to the Atlantic (in the west), began negotiations with representatives of the Christian community of Damascus. He offered them to cede to the Muslims their part of the Basilica of John the Baptist in exchange for permission to freely use the five other temples of the city. The Christians became stubborn, and then the Caliph threatened that he would order the destruction of the Church of St. Thomas, which was even larger in size than the Church of John the Baptist. And the Christian elders had to submit.

Caliph Abd al-Malik ordered the destruction of the basilica and the removal of the remains of the Roman structures on the site of which it was erected, after which the construction of a mosque began, "which was not and will not be more beautiful." Its construction continued throughout the reign of this caliph, who spent seven years of state income on its construction. When papers with bills were delivered to him on 18 camels, he did not even look at them and said: “It was all spent for the sake of Allah, so let’s not regret it.”

The Umayyad Mosque, which has become a truly grandiose structure, has served as a model for the entire Muslim world for centuries. The Great Mosque has three minarets, each of which has its own name: the minaret of the Bride, the minaret of Isa (Jesus Christ) and the minaret of Mohammed. Muslims believe that on the eve of the Last Judgment, Isa will descend to the ground near his minaret to fight the Antichrist. And when this happens, a girl from the Ghassanid tribe will come out of the minaret of the Bride: she was the bride of Jesus Christ on earth, but the beauty was walled up in the walls of the tower that once stood on the site of the minaret.

In the huge Umayyad Mosque, magnificent decorative compositions with unique architectural and landscape images have been preserved to this day, but there are also many mysterious and mysterious places in it. For example, in the depths of her courtyard, among the columns of the gallery, there is a small door leading to Hussein's chapel. Everyone in Damascus knows that here - in a capsule under a veil embroidered with verses from the Koran - lies the head of the third Shiite Imam Hussein, who was killed in the battle of Karbala. His head was cut off and delivered to Damascus to the Syrian ruler Mua-wiya, who ordered to hang it on the city gates - in the very place where King Herod once ordered the head of John the Baptist to be put up. Legend tells that the nightingales sang in the gardens of Damascus so sadly, that all the inhabitants of the city wept. And then Caliph Muawiyah repented of his deed and ordered that the head of Imam Hussein be placed in a golden sarcophagus and installed in a crypt, which later turned out to be inside the Great Mosque. It is said that the hair of the Prophet Muhammad, which he cut before his last pilgrimage to Mecca, is also kept there. Near the crypt, the mullah reads the Koran day and night, and Persian speech is constantly heard in this corner of the mosque, since the flow of pilgrims from Iran never stops.

The capsule with the head of John the Baptist is also kept in the Umayyad mosque - in a small elegant pavilion with barred windows and a dome, the shape of which repeats the arch thrown over it. How did the head of John the Baptist end up in the Great Mosque? According to stories, she was always here, but they found her only during the construction of the mosque. The caliph wanted to get rid of it, but as soon as he touched it, he could not leave the place, and decided to leave the relic alone. Both Christians and Muslims come to worship this shrine.

The famous commander Salah ad-Din, the first sultan of Egypt from the Ayyubid dynasty, is buried near the Great Mosque. His life came at a time when there was a conscious need to unite and defend Islam. Therefore, throughout his life, Salah ad-Din led aggressive campaigns, but in the Middle Ages he was sung for nobility and mercy to the crusaders he defeated. In the middle of the park, in front of the northwest corner of the Umayyad Mosque, stands a fine mausoleum with a domed roof. This is the tomb of Salah ad-din, who died in early March 1193. The walls of the mausoleum are covered with magnificent white and blue faience, and the tombstone, made of white marble, is decorated with floral ornaments and embedded colored stones. At the head of the bed, on a coverlet of green velvet with gold fringe, lies a huge green turban. Nearby, under glass, is a silver wreath donated in 1898 by Emperor Wilhelm as a token of admiration for the great Sultan Salah ad-Din. The emperor also donated a precious silver lamp hanging over a wooden headstone.

In passing, we will tell you that mainly the tombs in Damascus remind of the turbulent history of the first centuries of Islam. So, for example, outside the walls of the old city, on the edge of Guta, there is an outwardly unremarkable squat building surrounded by an aivan. On the other hand, the interior of the mosque is simply magnificent: the pattern on its walls seems to be beautiful lace and harmonizes with a huge chandelier sparkling with crystal pendants. The piercing blueness of the dome of the mosque is also striking, making one recall Persian turquoise. And in fact, the mosque was built by Iranian masters and at the expense of Iran, but this mosque is special - it is female, and there are not so many of them in the Muslim world.

In the mosque there is a mausoleum in which Zeynab, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, is buried. Little is known about her, but it is believed that, together with her brother Hussein, she was on that tragic day in the battle near Karbala. Zeinab was captured by Zayd Ubaidul, the son of Caliph Muawiyah, and was taken to Damascus in his convoy. And then she died a martyr from 99 stab and cut wounds. Not only Shiites come to the Zeinab Mosque, but also all women who want to ask for the intercession of Allah.

Among other famous tombs of Damascus, the burial of the Ethiopian Balal, an associate of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslim muezzin in history, stands out.

Muslims from all over the planet are trying to be at least once in their lives in the Umayyad mosque. It is one of the most majestic temple structures in Syria. For the architectural heritage of the state, the value of the building is considered truly colossal. In addition, its location is very symbolic. For the temple is in Damascus. It is the oldest metropolis in the world. Read the description of the Umayyad Mosque below.

oldest city

So, this monument of culture and architecture is located in the Syrian capital. Scientists believe that the city was founded about a thousand years ago. At the moment, it is rightfully the largest religious center in the entire Levant. And its highlight is just the Umayyad Mosque.

Recall that the Levant is all the states of the eastern Mediterranean. Among them are Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, etc.

By the way, at one time the Apostle Paul visited the city of Damascus. After that, a new religious trend arose in the capital, which became known as Christianity. By the way, the city is repeatedly mentioned in the Bible.

Ancient history

In ancient times, the Syrian capital was conquered by the king of the Israeli state, David. And in 333 BC. e. Alexander the Great invaded this territory and captured the city. A few centuries later, the city of Damascus recognized the authority of Rome.

On the site where the mosque now stands, there was a temple of Hadad. In this territory, the ancient Arameans held their respective worship services. By the way, a basalt stele survived from that building.

When the power of the Roman governors spread to the territory of Damascus, the temple was destroyed. And in its place was built the sanctuary of Jupiter. Later it became known as the Church of John the Baptist.

Note that in those days, for seven decades, the church became a refuge for both Christians and Muslims. Services were held simultaneously for these denominations. At the same time, having conquered Damascus in 636, the Arabs not only did not destroy the building, but also erected a small extension of bricks near the temple.

Destruction of a Roman basilica

Meanwhile, the city began to turn into a real capital of a large caliphate. And the number of Muslims has increased greatly. And the huge Roman temple was no longer able to accommodate everyone. Accordingly, adherents of Christianity turned out to be superfluous.

By this period, the caliphs understood that it was high time to build their own sanctuary in the city, as in El-Kuf, Mecca, Basra, Medina. This building should have been better than Christian churches. It would have countered them with beauty of decoration and architecture. But before the construction began, the church was first bought from the Christians, and then it was completely destroyed.

By the way, subsequently all Christian religious buildings were destroyed. Some of them turned into mosques. At the moment, only the church of St. Mary has been preserved. It is now considered the main cathedral of the Patriarch of Antioch.

Mosque construction

After destroying the Roman basilica, the Arab architects proceeded to the construction of the mosque in the same place. Construction work lasted one decade. Twelve thousand workers were involved in them.

The Damascus authorities spent all the financial resources that were then in the Syrian treasury for the construction.

Also, well-known architects from Persia, India and the Maghreb were involved in the process of work.

In addition, a number of rulers of the Levant decided to contribute to the construction of the structure, providing for this a colossal amount of precious stones.

Building architecture

As a result, the Umayyad Mosque (Syria) really turned out to be majestic and very beautiful. It was separated from the city by thick walls.

You can enter the building from four sides through the gate. By the way, at the left entrance there is a large wooden wagon on huge wheels. Many believe that this structure is a ramming device. According to them, the great Tamerlane left him when he stormed Damascus. Others believe that this wagon is an ancient Roman war chariot.

Behind the gate is the courtyard, which is lined with black and white marble slabs. Its length is 125 m, and its width is 50 m. It is decorated with images of paradise gardens and mosaics. By the way, this mosaic is considered to be the best decoration of the mosque. They say that to make it, they invited Constantinople masters. True, for a long time the mosaic was hidden under a large layer of plaster. And only in 1927 the restorers were able to restore its former beauty.

In the center of the courtyard there is a fountain and a pool for ablution. As for the floor of the prayer hall, it is covered with carpets. There are almost 5 thousand of them. Believers donated them to the mosque.

Minarets

Three minarets rise above the temple. They have been preserved almost in their original form. But, unfortunately, not all.

The oldest minaret is located in the northern part of the wall that surrounds the temple. The name of the building is Al-Arouk Minaret. Alas, how it looked after construction, it is difficult to say. And after the next restoration work, the top of the building was made exclusively in a modern style.

The minaret, which is located in the western part of the mosque, was named Al-Gharbiya. It was built in the fifteenth century and was crowned with a rather sharp spire.

Well, the southeastern minaret bears the name of Isu, or Jesus. According to legend, when the Last Judgment comes, Christ will descend this minaret and end up in the mosque. After that, he must resurrect a prophet named Yahya. Then they will go to Jerusalem, where they will establish true justice throughout the Earth. By the way, that's why every day a brand new carpet is always laid on the place where Jesus' foot has set foot.

Chapel of Hussein

The huge building of the mosque has its own secrets. So, in the depths of the courtyard, among the columns of the gallery, there is a small door that leads to the so-called. Hussein's chapel. She, perhaps, is one of the main shrines of the temple. It is in this building, in a capsule, that Hussein's head is kept. He was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and is considered a martyr. He was killed in one of the battles back in 681, and his head was cut off. After that, she was taken to Damascus. By order of the Syrian ruler, the head was hung on the gates of the city. At one time, it was at this place that the legendary King Herod put the head of John the Baptist. But we will return to this a little later.

When Hussein died, the birds, according to legend, began to emit only sad trills. And all the townspeople were crying. The ruler of Syria repented and ordered to put his head in a tomb of gold. Then she was placed in a crypt, and a little later - in a mosque.

In addition, adherents of Islam believe that the hair of the Prophet Muhammad is also in the chapel. Allegedly, he cut them off when he was in Mecca. Note that the prophet was then in the city for the last time.

Head of John the Baptist (Prophet Yahya)

In the center of the mosque there is also a capsule with the head of John the Baptist. In Rus' he is called John the Baptist, in the Muslim world he is called Yahya.

This shrine was found quite by accident. When construction work on the construction of the mosque had just begun, Syrian architects were laying the foundation. It was then that the grave was found. Believers claim that it was the burial place of John the Baptist. Be that as it may, the ruler ordered that the grave be preserved. As a result, she remained in the same place where she was later found. It is located in the very center of the courtyard.

The tomb is made of white marble. It is surrounded by glass niches. Through them, believers can put a photo or memorial note inside. In addition, there you can give money to this saint as a gift.

To be honest, the story with the head has not been finally clarified so far. It is said that only part of his relics lies in the tomb of the prophet Yahya. Other parts of the head are found in Amiens, Athos and Rome.

Rules for visiting the temple

The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus is considered a very hospitable place. And for people of absolutely any religion. Guests and believers, as a rule, always behave quite relaxed. They can pray, sit, read, lie down and even sleep. And small children love to ride on the marble slabs of the yard. At the same time, the ministers of the temple always treat everyone calmly and democratically. They never condemn anyone, let alone expel anyone.

Guests of Damascus visit the Umayyad Mosque for a nominal fee. True, tourists are not allowed on Friday. When entering the temple, you must take off your shoes. It can be given to ministers for safekeeping. True, for an additional fee. Otherwise, you should wear shoes with you. Representatives of the weaker sex are given special black capes.

An important detail: the climate in Syria is very hot. And so the marble floor in the great mosque of Damascus is often heated literally to the limit. Accordingly, it is simply unrealistic to move on such a surface. In a word, tourists in such a situation take socks with them.

Tests

The Umayyad Mosque, whose relics and shrines we examined, also went through a series of serious trials. So, some parts of the temple repeatedly burned. In addition, the building was also damaged by natural disasters. Terrible earthquakes hit the temple three times. Also, the Mongols, Ottomans and Seljuks invaded the territory of Damascus. After such raids, the temple seemed to have been completely destroyed. But despite this, the mosque was quickly restored. And the capital of Syria is still proud of this unique cultural monument.