Damascus’s Splendid Umayyad Mosque Set to Welcome Pope John Paul II

By Habeeb Salloum

From the dawn of Islam, Damascus has been synonymous with its Umayyad mosque, one of the most sacred structures in the Muslim world. For hundreds of years, this great house of worship, the Muslim world’s fourth holiest site, has been the city’s most magnificent historic building.

The pride of Arab-Islamic architecture, it was once the finest work of art to be found anywhere on earth. Through the centuries, it has stood as the symbol of a glorious period in Arab history—the time when Damascus was the capital of a vast Muslim empire. On May 6, it will add another chapter to its long saga when it welcomes Pope John Paul II, marking the first time in history that a pontiff will pray in a mosque.

Erected on one of the oldest holy spots in the world, the Umayyad mosque embodies the history of mankind. Its ancient walls encompass three faiths, three civilizations and four historical eras. The mosque replaced the Christian basilica of Saint John the Baptist, which itself was erected on the site of the Roman Temple of Jupiter. An even earlier temple, built about 1000 B.C.E. and dedicated to Haddad, the Aramean god of thunder, once stood on the same location.

After the Islamic conquest in 635 C.E., Muslims and Christians agreed to partition the church between them, and began to perform their rituals side by side. For 70 years Christians and Muslims prayed in the same structure. In 705, when the Muslim congregation grew in size, the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid took over the whole building. In exchange, he built four churches for the Christians. The caliph then undertook construction of the mosque, which became the first monumental expression of Muslim devotion. A huge number of craftsmen, including Greeks, Indians, Persians and Syrian Christians, spent years embellishing Islam’s first sumptuous mosque.

It took 10 years and 11 million gold dinars to build what was to become the symbol of Muslim political supremacy and moral prestige. The artisans who decorated the mosque thought of Damascus as the Garden of Eden. They created murals inlaid with gold, precious stones and colored glass to illustrate the finest examples of nature as well as human endeavor. Rivers, bridges and splendid palaces emerge from a forest of green trees against a background of gold. In addition to the glittering mosaics, the multicolored marble marquetry and gold plating combine to give the mosque a magnificent sense of color design.

In the subsequent centuries, the style of al-Walid’s creation was reproduced by architects of mosques throughout the Muslim lands, especially in North Africa and Arab Spain. Its square minaret, believed to have been copied from earlier Christian churches, became the trademark of Muslim houses of worship. Even today, this type of minaret is still to be found throughout North and West Africa.

Some historians believe that al-Walid’s minaret was later adopted by the European Christian churches and became the square church steeple one sees in Western lands. After the demise of the Umayyad Dynasty, the structure and style of mosques in the eastern Muslim world changed, especially during the Ottoman period. However, Damascus’s Umayyad Mosque continued to retain much of its maiden character, including one of the square minarets, and original shape.

In 1069 C.E., much of the mosque was destroyed by fire, and in 1260 it was sacked by the Mongols. Again in the early 15th century, Tamerlane, the scourge of Asia, burned the whole of the inside, and finally, in 1893, during the Ottoman era, it was almost entirely consumed by fire. After each destruction, it was rebuilt, following the original plans as closely as possible.

Stepping into the enormous courtyard from the bustle and clamor of the surrounding souqs is like walking unexpectedly into another world. Inside, one finds in its great marble spaces an oasis of coolness, calmness and silence. The overwhelming sense of serenity and spacious tranquillity is a moving experience, one not often found in other religious structures.

At one end, near the main entrance, is the courtyard’s gem, a small domed building supported by slender Corinthian columns and with pictorial-mosaic decorated walls. This tiny structure, considered one of the finest examples of Muslim art, was once the Umayyad treasury, where the nation’s public funds were kept.

On three sides of the courtyard, known in Arabic as the sahn, are arcades consisting of columns and piers topped by horseshoe or Roman arches. Parts of these are inlaid with colorful mosaics, the remains of a time when all these covered walks were gilded. The fourth side runs along the front of the prayer hall, parts of which are inlaid with marble panels topped with beautiful murals—a fantastic glazed mosaic of arabesque, much of it newly renovated.

The prayer hall, 443 feet by 121 feet, which is the throbbing heart of the mosque, has an impressive dome towering above the courtyard. The pillared chamber consists of three aisles with two-tiered rows of arches resting on Corinthian columns standing on pedestals. On one side are three exquisitely tiled mihrabs (niches) and a superb minbar (pulpit). Near the opposite side is the Mausoleum of John the Baptist, known to Muslims as the Prophet Yahya.

The domed shrine containing the head of this saint is the focal point of the whole mosque. Considered a masterpiece of Islamic art, it is venerated by both Christians and Muslims and has been the object of pilgrims since the earliest days of Islam.

The mosque, open to every sect in the Muslim community, is utilized for worship and as a resting or meeting place. Non-Muslims can visit at any time, with the exception of the prayer hall during Friday prayers. Upon entering, visitors pay an admission fee, then remove their shoes. Women are given cloaks. All visitors then are free to roam the mosque at will.

There is no doubt that, to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, a visit to this first Great Mosque in Islam is a never-to-be-forgotten experience. Incorporating within its renovated walls a world of beauty, peace and gentleness, it remains a jewel in the world of Islamic architecture. Along with millions of visitors throughout the centuries to the Ummayed mosque, Pope John Paul II cannot fail to be impressed by the true majestic quality of Islam and its message of devotion and peace.

Habeeb Salloum is a Toronto-based free-lance writer specializing in food and travel.