The Grand Mosque of Damascus is also known as the Umayyad Mosque. It is located in the old city of historic Damascus and is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Rising in the heart of Damascus, this mosque is not only a place of worship but also represents a deep historical and religious heritage. Hz. The mosque, which is believed to be the place where Jesus will descend to earth, is also the place where Hz. It preserves the holy head of Husayn. This mosque, bearing the traces of its sacred heritage, has hosted many stories in its thousands of years of history.
The mosque, built during the Umayyad period, has a unique position in the Islamic world with its architectural features, rich decorations and spiritual values. This mosque, which has been mentioned by many writers throughout history, has received praise and fascinated its visitors from past to present, starting with its construction. It played an important role in the religious and social life of Muslims and given a sacred value It is one of the oldest mosques.
Importance of Umayyad Mosque
After the Arab conquest of Damascus in 634, since the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine I. John the BaptistA Christian basilica dedicated to , was converted into a mosque in 635 under the leadership of Abu Ubeyde bin Cerrah. Structure, It served as both a church and a mosque for seventy years.; However, over time, as the Muslim population increased, it was completely converted into a mosque.
The mosque is one of the sacred relics that are still protected. Head of John the Baptist It contains important ruins such as. Also mosque, Shiism It hosts points that are considered important places for tourism. Among them Hz. Grandson of Muhammad (pbuh). Hussein’s head There is also. Hz. who was martyred in Karbala. It is rumored that Hüseyin’s blessed head was exhibited here for a while and was buried here. In a small garden added to the north of the mosque wall, Saladin, Conqueror of Jerusalem‘s tomb takes place.
Staying true to its original plan, the Grand Mosque of Damascus has a domed structure in front of the mihrab. Its structure became a model for mosque architecture in all Islamic states after it was built. It also influenced Anatolian mosques in terms of planning. The decorations of the mosque are full of rich mosaics consisting of floral and geometric motifs and depictions of cities and buildings. These decorations are of great importance in terms of art history. Moreover, The first public baths in the Islamic world It is known that it was made here.
History of the Umayyad Mosque
The history of the building dates back to 64 BC during the Roman period. A pagan temple dedicated to Jupiter It starts as . It was converted into a church in 391 during the reign of Roman Emperor Theodosius I. St. John’s Church took its name. After the city of Damascus was conquered by the Muslim Arab armies in 634, the hall of the temple of Jupiter was converted into a mosque under the supervision of Abu Ubeyde bin Cerrah. However, since this mosque did not meet the increasing needs, the construction of today’s large mosque was initiated by the Umayyad Caliph Velid I.
During the construction process, masters sent from Istanbul by the Byzantine Emperor upon the request of the Caliph worked. Construction was completed in 714. Ibn al-Faqih al-Hamadani, a 10th century historian, stated that the mosque was built at a cost of between 600 thousand and 1 million dinars and 12 thousand people from different nationalities workHe stated.
During the Abbasid period, the importance of the mosque decreased as the administrative center was mainly Baghdad. The Umayyad heritage in the city was systematically destroyed, and the idea that this place was a symbol of the power and victory of Islam was highlighted. In 780, during the reign of the Abbasid governor El Fadil bin Salih, the mosque was built to the east of the mosque. a dome with a clock has been added.
The first of the important repairs in the building was carried out by the Seljuk Sultan after a great fire in 1069. Melikşah It was carried out in 1082-83. In this repair, Kubbetü’n-Nesr The focus was on the arches and columns along with the dome known as the . The second important repair is the Ottoman Sultan II. Abdulhamid It was built during the period, after the great fire in 1894, and the rows of columns inside, their related architectural sections and the roof were rebuilt by masters sent from Istanbul.
Architectural Features of the Umayyad Mosque
The perimeter wall of the building was placed on the foundations of the Roman temple and the minarets were placed on the corner towers of this perimeter wall. The plan of the mosque consists of three parts parallel to the mihrab wall and Masjid an-Nabawi It has a rectangular form with a transverse development like. In order to ensure equality in the Islamic religion, it is seen that this type of development is preferred to have as equal ranks as possible. This plan was later used in similar ways in some mosques in Anatolia.
At the front of the mosque, there is a courtyard surrounded by porticoes on three sides. These porticoes rest on marble columns decorated with Greco-Roman capitals. The walls are decorated with landscape paintings in the Hellenistic style.
There is the mihrab in the middle of the prayer section, the pulpit to the right, and the maksure under the dome sitting on four legs in front of the mihrab; The remaining parts are arranged as multi-legged. In this structure, mihrab, pulpit, beytülmal and minarets were used as monumental mosque elements for the first time. There are four pulpits and four mihrabs in the Damascus Umayyad Mosque, which belong to the Hanafi, Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali sects.
The well in the Masjid an-Nabawi was converted into a fountain in Damascus Umayyad, and instead of the shades made for the Companions next to the main entrance, it was opened to the outside. primary school has been made.
The mosque has three minarets and four main gates. minaret on the east side Isa Minaret It is known as and according to a rumor, Hz. It is believed that when Jesus descends to earth, he will land on this minaret. The minaret in the southwest corner Fatih Sultan Mehmet It was built by and named after his contemporary Mamluk sultan Kayitbay. The third minaret is located in the middle of the northern wall and is the most spectacular; in Arabic “Minaretul Arus” It is called (Wedding or Bridal Minaret).
fourth caliph of Islam Hz. Ali was killed during prayer Afterwards, in order to prevent the heads of Islamic states from being attacked, a cage was built around the place where the caliphs prayed in the Masjid al-Nabawi during the Ottoman period. Into this cage “maksure” has been named. It is not documented that the maksure dome in front of the mihrab in the Damascus Umayyad Mosque existed before the 11th century.
It is known that in the regions where the Umayyads dominated and in the lands they conquered, they built monumental mosques similar in plan to the Damascus Umayyad Mosque. It seems that this tradition continued until the 12th century. The horizontal plan type with a dome in front of the mihrab is especially seen in mosques such as Malatya Ulu Mosque and Dunaysır Ulu Mosque (Kızıltepe, Mardin). The most extreme example of this tradition is the İsa Bey Mosque from the Seljuk period in Izmir.
According to Islamic belief sources and some beliefs, the Prophet Muhammad. In the End Times, before the Judgment Day, Jesus will descend from the sky to oppose and destroy the Antichrist. According to the hadiths and local Damascus tradition, Hz. Jesus coming to earth AntichristIt is believed that the place where he will oppose is the Isa Minaret on the east side.
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