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The Great Mosque of Damascus
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The Great Mosque of Damascus
also known as the Umayyad Mosque
the basics:
- completed 715 CE
- built upon a holy site
- measures 97 x 156
- commisioned by Al Walid I
- 4th most holy site for Muslims
photo by Erik Shin
Caliphate = Islamic theocracy
Iberia = Spain and Portugal
Who were the Umayyads?
Umayyads?
The Umayyad dynasty was one of the first great Caliphates.
In 661, Mu'awiya I established Damascus as the capital. While their dynasty only lasted for 89 years in the Middle East, their legacy contined on the Iberian peninsular till the 11th century. The after effects of which are still felt throughtout the muslim world.
Source:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Umayyad-dynasty-Islamic-history
photo by Zirrar Ali
Form:
Interior:
- The maqsurah: an area reserved for the Caliph, common in other earlier Mosques, but later omitted as inconsistent with the teaching of Islam.
-The south wall being the prayer wall is the Qibla Each mihrab is facing Mecca.
-"A minbar, from which Qur'anic readings, sermons, or
official proclamations and addresses are given, is located
to the right of the central mihrab."
[Michael Fazio, Marian Moffett, Lawrence Wodehouse. A World History of Architecture]
Exterior:
- The triangular form is a nod to the classical, as it was based on the original Roman shrine.
- The mosque has four minarets, which are towers, used to summon muslims for their call to prayer. This is done by a caller known as a Muezzin.
- Importantly, this was the first mosque to utilise minarets in this manner, setting a pattern for nearlly all Mosques to follow.
- The origin of these towers is belived to have come from fortification or lightouses repurposed for Religous calling.
- The majority of the inner space belongs to the sahn, equivalent to a cloister or courtyard ,made up of black and white stones, which form distinct patterns.
- this is surrounded by riwaq (porticos)
- domed fountain key componant in early Mosques
- The public treasury of the Umayyads was stored in the octagonal dome.
[Michael Fazio, Marian Moffett, Lawrence Wodehouse. A World History of Architecture]
The Mosque
photo by Johannes Zielcke
photo by Bernard Gagnon
PBase: Michael McMorrow
photo by Theklan
Religous significance
Significance
After starting life as an Aramaic temple dedicated to the god Hadad, it soon became the Temple of Jupiter during Roman times. After that it became the Cathedral of St. John. This is important for its religous significance as here the head of John the Baptist is enshrined. Despite being taken over by Muslim conquerors, for a brief period if time, it was shared by both faiths.
Later on it was decided to become exclusively a mosque.
The Christians were to be given a new Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and all their other churches were to be left untouched.
Both Shia and Sunni Muslims consider it to be a holy place as this is where the prophet Muhammad's descendetnts fled after the Battle of Karbala, in Iraq.
Sources:
Flood, Finbarr Barry. The Great Mosque of Damascus: Studies on the Meanings of an Umayyad Visual Culture . Leiden; Boston; Koln: Brill, 2000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_Mosque#Religious_significance
Rihawi, Abdul Qader. Arabic Islamic Architecture in Syria. Damascus: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, 1979.
Current state:
role of religous factions:
- burning of Holy books
- Free Syrian Army are mainly Sunnis
- Government forces mainly Shia
- this why there is religous tension
in a Sunni Mosque
current state
Throughout the Syrian war the Mosque was sharply contested between the rebel and Govermnet forces. Years of fighting took their toll on the building.
"Arcades were covered with wreckage, walls were punctured, parts were broken down, ornamentation was stolen, and the Seljuk minaret was eventually bombarded to the ground."
source:
The Great Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo: from Historic Islamic Monument to War Battlefield. written by Dima Stouhi
The Great Mosque of Cordoba
Continuation
photo by Richard Mortel
photo by Ajay Suresh
photo by Toni Castillo Quero
Places of worship
Overall theme
Overall, you can see the differences and the similarities of how each culture tries to creates a place of worship, whether Egyptian polytheism or Islamic monotheism. They are both unifed in their goal of adorning their Mosque or Temple with the best materials they can afford. Fine masonry in Egypt and beautifully gilded mosaics in Syria.
photo by PtitBen
sources:
bibliography
source:
The Great Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo: from Historic Islamic Monument to War Battlefield. written by Dima Stouhi
lood, Finbarr Barry. The Great Mosque of Damascus: Studies on the Meanings of an Umayyad Visual Culture . Leiden; Boston; Koln: Brill, 2000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_Mosque#Religious_significance
Rihawi, Abdul Qader. Arabic Islamic Architecture in Syria. Damascus: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, 1979.
[Michael Fazio, Marian Moffett, Lawrence Wodehouse.. A world history of architecture]
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Umayyad-dynasty-Islamic-history
As one of the early Mosques:
influence
The difficulty of being one of the first dynasties of the Islamic world, meant they had to create a place of worship without having a clear foundation to follow. Islam had only been around for a century. This gave the Ummayds the immense task of creating the foundartions of what a Mosque is. Elements such as The mhirab and Minarets which are now seen as an integral part of a Mosque, first came into being under the Umayyads. The second Mihrab and the first Minaret came into existence at this very Mosque.