Umayyad Mosque Mosque

Address: Umayyad Mosque (Great Mosque of Damascus), Old City, Damascus, Syria

Hours: Generally open daily; specific hours vary with services and custodial arrangements (often early morning-evening)

The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, is an early 8th-century congregational mosque located in the old city of Damascus. It is one of the oldest and most important surviving monumental mosques in the Islamic world.

The complex includes a large open courtyard, a covered prayer hall with colonnades and multiple minarets, and richly detailed mosaics and stonework from early Islamic periods. A small interior shrine within the mosque is traditionally associated with the head of John the Baptist, venerated by both Muslims and Christians.

The mosque was constructed on the site of earlier religious buildings and was completed under the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I in the early 700s CE, becoming a major centre of worship and civic life in Damascus. It has been rebuilt and modified at multiple points while retaining core Umayyad-era fabric.

Located at the heart of Damascus’s old city, the mosque sits adjacent to the historic souks and other significant monuments of the Umayyad quarter.

• Date of construction: Construction of the present mosque complex dates to the early 8th century under the Umayyad Caliphate, with many surviving mosaics and architectural elements from that period.
• Visitor guidance: Non-Muslim visitors can often enter outside of main prayer times; dress and respectful behaviour are required inside the complex.

What to See#

• Prayer hall and courtyard: The central courtyard and covered prayer hall host the mosque’s main devotional space, with richly decorated arcades and a large roofed area for congregational prayer.
• Shrine of John the Baptist: A small interior shrine area traditionally associated with the head of John the Baptist is located within the complex and is venerated by Muslims and Christians alike.

Located in Damascus’s Old City; approach via Bab Sharqi or the surrounding market streets. Public transport in Damascus will bring visitors near the Old City; on foot is the usual way to move through the narrow lanes.

• Be respectful of prayer times and the multiple Christian and Muslim custodians who share responsibilities at the site.
• The interior can be dim and crowded; try early morning to see the Stone of Anointing with fewer people.
• No entrance fee, but modest donations to church custodians are common and appreciated.