Umayyad Mosque
Videos
The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports concerning the mosque, and historic events associated with it. Christian and Muslim tradition alike consider it the burial place of John the Baptist's head, a tradition originating in the 6th century. 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.
Remains of an old Roman-era triple doorway in the exterior southern wall of the mosque
Remnants of original marble paneling around the inside of Bab Jairun, the east gate of the mosque
Western portico of the courtyard, with partial remains of mosaic decoration
Mihrab
Videos
Mihrab is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a mihrab appears is thus the "qibla wall".
8th-century marble mihrab found in the al-Khassaki Mosque in Baghdad, now housed at the Iraq Museum
Pair of candlesticks from an Ottoman Turkish mosque, late 16th century
Mihrab in the Great Mosque of Damascus