Umayyad Grand Mosque (Damascus, Syria). Damascus - Great Umayyad Mosque Facade of the Umayyad Mosque close-up

Occupying a large area (157*100 m), the mosque is divided into a three-nave prayer hall 37 m deep and a vast courtyard. The main axis, oriented across the nave, is fixed by a dome on pylons with a three-part arch between the pylons from the side of the courtyard and the main mihrab located near the wall - a decorated sacred niche. The two-tier arcades of the interior, about 15 m high, carry a flat beamed ceiling. The arches open to the courtyard rest on pillars that are square in cross section; the inner arches, slightly horseshoe-shaped and slightly lancet, rest on Corinthian marble columns, the details of which speak of their Byzantine origin. The surviving ornaments in the interior decoration also speak of Byzantine influence: the bottom of the walls was lined with marble, the upper part up to the ceiling was completely covered with mosaics on a gold background. In terms of the total area of ​​mosaic images, the mosque surpassed Byzantine examples. However, the interpretation of forms here is distinctive. The multi-column hall, which has 19 naves and over 600 columns, is dominated by an arcade of two tiers of self-supporting arches, original in its design. The combination of a “forest of columns” visible in perspective with openwork arches, accentuated by wedge-shaped masonry of white and red stones, forms a rich and colorful pattern in space, imbued with a complex ornamental rhythm. Together with it, the proportionate construction of the arcade in terms of height and in terms of height is subject to strict logic. The main nave and separate domed cells are highlighted. The interiors under the domes, accentuated by decor, are decorated with a complex system of intersecting arches - semi-circular, three and five-bladed.

The mosque contains a treasury said to contain the head of John the Baptist (Yahya), revered as a prophet by both Christians and Muslims. The head may have been found during excavations during the construction of the mosque. The mosque also houses the tomb of Salah ad-Din, located in a small garden adjacent to the northern wall of the mosque. The Great Umayyad Mosque in Damascus accommodates 10,000 worshipers inside and 20,000 people outside.

The Muslim cult, which consists in common prayer and reading of the Koran, is limited to the church set. In the prayer hall, next to the mihrab, a minbar was erected - an elevation for the preacher. Usually the minbar looks like a very high chair on a pedestal with a steep ladder and is sheathed with carved wooden panels. The floor on which the Muslims sat was covered with a carpet. And the old massive Korans were placed on wooden, beautifully decorated racks.

An example of this kind of architectural monument is one of the famous mosques: Kubbat al-Sahra or the "Dome of the Rock" and the mosque of Ahmed. This centric, domed building forms a circle in plan, surrounded by two octagonal bypasses on the arcades. Or the Umayyad Mosque built in 705-715 in Damascus, the capital of Syria.

"Dome of the Rock"

Next to the mosque rise minarets, which are a tall, thin, circular tower with a balcony. In different centers and in different historical periods, unique types of minarets were created, differing in size, proportions and compositions. The practical significance of the minaret lies in the public call of the faithful to prayer, which is performed by a special employee at the mosque, the muezzin. He climbed the stairs enclosed inside the tower.

Mosques with their minarets are bright distinctive feature Arab architecture and the entire Muslim world. They fascinate with their size and beauty of the arches, with their ornaments and mosaics. However, palaces intended for the rest of the ruler, as well as for personal receptions, are no less beautiful.

The main techniques in the field of Arab architecture are the presence of the courtyard principle of organizing a building plan with galleries along the perimeter of the courtyard, flat coverings and roofs, in centric rooms - specific elevated outlines with a slight lancet dome.

Israel. The Mosque of the Rock in Jerusalem - one of the main shrines of Islam - is located on a site that had great religious significance long before the rise of Islam.

The Dome of the Rock Mosque was built between 688 and 692. It is the world's oldest surviving Muslim building, although it has been called "non-Muslim" because its form is influenced by early Christian architecture. The Mosque of the Rock is not only the third most important shrine of Islam, but also the most majestic architectural monument of the Middle East. Indeed, the mosque erected over the rock is, as it were, a dome covering this sacred place.

It is said that the original dome of the mosque was made of gold, but historical documents say that the dome was covered with a lead roof, and the outer surface with sheets of gilded copper. The lead roof was preserved until 1964, when, during the renovation of the mosque, the dome cover was made of aluminum sheets, which were chemically given the color of gold. Its diameter is 20 meters, and the height of the dome is 34 meters, it is clearly visible from almost all points in Jerusalem. The dome is located on a base supported by stone columns.

The outer walls of the mosque are octahedral and are made with arcades. Initially, they were covered with glass mosaics, but in the 16th century they were replaced with Muslim-style tiles. Inside, the mosque is divided by two rows of columns, as it were, into three circles, which allows pilgrims to freely move in processions around the rock located in the center. Under the stone is a cave, which leads to eleven steps. And in the ceiling of the cave there is a hole through which the blood of sacrificial animals flowed.

The Skala Mosque has four doors oriented to the four parts of the world. The northern entrance is called the Gates of Paradise, the eastern - the Gates of David. The southern entrance is considered central, and opposite it rises the facade of another mosque - Al-Aqsa. Inside the Skala Mosque there is an amazing mosaic with patterns that are made under the clear influence of Byzantine art. Its walls are decorated with ornaments with inscriptions - an indispensable decorative element of Islamic painting. One of the inscriptions reminds of the builder of the mosque - Caliph Abdul al-Malik from the Umayyad dynasty. The later Abbasid caliph took credit for the construction of the mosque and changed the inscription.

This is one of the most famous mosques in the world. It was built on the site of previous more ancient temples. Three thousand years ago, the Aramaic temple of the god Hadad stood here. At the beginning of our era, the "palm" was taken over by the Romans. They erected the temple of Jupiter, which was destroyed by the Byzantine emperor Theodosius at the end of the 4th century. Many colonnades around the mosque remained from the ancient temple, apparently Theodosius did not try very hard. He built a huge basilica of St. John. The Muslims who captured Damascus used this cathedral for a long time along with the Christians. Christians prayed in the eastern part of the basilica, and Muslims in the western.

In 708, Caliph Walid confiscated the building of the Cathedral of St. John, providing Christians with other churches. He began to build a mosque worthy of his huge caliphate. The Umayyad Mosque was built over 10 years. It must be said that the builders largely preserved the ancient walls of the cathedral and the three main gates. The three minarets of the mosque also have ancient foundations.

The western wall of the mosque and the minaret of the Prophet Muhammad.

The minaret was restored after a fire by the Mamluk Sultan Kait Bey in 1488. Therefore, it is often called the minaret of Kait-bey.

Here is the main entrance to the mosque - the Bab al-Barid gate. On the square in front of this gate is the entrance to the famous market - Souq al-Hamidia, so it is always very crowded here.
Gate of Bab al-Barid (view from the courtyard)

I entered the mosque through the northern gate - Bab al-Faradis. The entrance to the mosque is paid, but here they did not demand a ticket from me, although it costs some pennies - a little more than a dollar. Probably, the gatekeepers were too lazy to bother with me, the only thing they follow very strictly is that women wear special capes, which are immediately distributed or sold, I did not specify ...
Gateway to Paradise...Bab al-Faradis

The northern minaret or minaret of the Bride dates back to the beginning of the 8th century.

Minaret of the Bride and azan in the Umayyad Mosque

In the center of the courtyard there is a fountain for ablutions - Kubbat an-Nofara

At the western portal there is an interesting building - the treasury of Kubbat al-Khazna (787). There is no access to it directly from the ground; there are similar treasuries in many Islamic mosques.

Numerous mosaics of the western portal brought fame to the courtyard of the mosque. The panel depicting the Gardens of Eden stands out in particular.
Paradise garden and palaces in it.

The mosaics were made by Byzantine masters back in the days of Caliph Walid, and then they were plastered over by some very pious successor. This is what has served to ensure that they have come down to us in good condition.

Mosaic on the facade of the prayer hall.

Southeast minaret of the prophet Isa - Jesus Christ. According to local legend, he will descend to earth along this minaret on the eve of doomsday…

Details of the ancient basilica - the predecessor of the current mosque.


Central mihrab and minbar of the Umayyad Mosque
Chapel of St. John the Baptist (aka the prophet Yahya in the Koran). Here is the head of the saint, as if found in 705 during the reconstruction of the basilica into a mosque.

Prayer at the Umayyad Mosque


Between the male and female parts of the prayer hall there is a kind of "alienation" strip - an empty space...

Men, of course, are closer to mihrabs.
Women's "gallery"

Alone with the Lord...

We stumbled upon this mosque by chance while walking around old Damascus. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus or in another way the Grand Mosque in Damascus is one of the most revered and oldest in the world. From here, sermons are broadcast on television throughout Syria. The mosque can be visited by tourists regardless of religion, which we actually took advantage of.

What is the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

The mosque is huge. It is surrounded by high walls, which can be reached through one of the four gates. At the entrance, you must definitely take off your shoes, which you can leave here, as we did, or take it with you. There is a small fee for non-Muslims to enter, but as far as I remember, we got through without paying money, although I could be wrong.

The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Courtyard. Video

After passing through one of the gates, you will enter the courtyard, which is paved with smooth slabs. In the heat, they warm up, and it’s hot to walk barefoot on them, but in January, when we visited this place, it was, on the contrary, very cold to walk on these plates even in socks. In the courtyard there is a fountain for ablution, which is carried out before prayer.

Near the wall there is an impressive cart: according to some sources, this is a ramming device that remained after the assault on Damascus by Tamerlane, according to others, this is a war chariot from the times of Ancient Rome. By the way, in the Roman era, on the site of this mosque, there was a temple of Jupiter, and in the Byzantine era, a Christian church.

The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Prayer Hall. Video

From the courtyard you find yourself in a prayer hall of impressive size. The floor is covered with patterned carpets, the pattern of which marks the places for prayer.

The liberated behavior of people surprises and disposes: parishioners sit or even lie on the floor, read, take pictures, and communicate. Near the walls there are bookcases with books, apparently, they can be taken and read.

• One of the three minarets of the mosque is named after Jesus. Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet, but do not accept that He is the Son of God. According to the prophecy, Isa (this is how Muslims call Jesus) will descend this minaret to the ground before the Last Judgment. They are waiting for Jesus, and every day the imam changes the carpet in front of the minaret, His foot must set foot on this carpet.
• In the center of the prayer hall is the grave of another well-known Christian prophet - John the Baptist. Rather, the head of the Baptist is buried here. Found it when they built this mosque on the spot Christian temple. Muslims, just like Christians, revere John the Baptist, calling him Yahya. The matter with this relic is unclear to this day: there are several heads of the prophet and their fragments. They are in France, and in Italy, and in Nagorno-Karabakh, and in Greece on Athos. Researchers count as many as twelve.
• The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus is the burial place of the ashes of Salah ad-Din, a famous talented commander and Muslim leader of the 12th century.

In the very center of old Damascus rises one of the greatest shrines of the Muslim world - Umayya, or the Umayyad Mosque, the Great Mosque, built at the beginning of the 8th century. caliph al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik.

In ancient times, the Romans built a temple of Jupiter with the surrounding architectural ensemble on this site. In the IV century. The Byzantines came and, destroying the pagan temple, built an Orthodox cathedral from its ruins in the name of the Christian prophet John the Baptist, who was executed by King Herod.

At the beginning of the 7th century Muslim Arabs, having captured Syria with its churches and monasteries, were amazed at their luxury and splendor of the religious rituals of the conquered Byzantines. The commander Khaled bin Walid, to whose troops the garrison of Damascus surrendered in 636, guaranteed in writing "the inviolability of the inhabitants of the city, their property, churches and city walls." The main cathedral of the city became a place of prayer for Muslim soldiers, and Christians were allowed here for their prayers. In a word, there was enough space for everyone. Thus, for several decades, an atmosphere of religious tolerance and mutual respect between the Christian and Muslim communities was preserved; the ringing of bells over the gigantic basilica dedicated to John the Baptist alternated with the prayerful singing of the muezzin.

But time passed, and Damascus from an ordinary city of the times of the Prophet Muhammad and his first successors turned into the capital of a huge caliphate founded by the Umayyad dynasty (661-750). The number of adherents of Islam increased so much that the grandiose St. John's Basilica with its three 140-meter spans-naves could not accommodate everyone, and Christians were completely superfluous here. In addition, the new capital grew rich, flourished, and the Umayyad caliphs rightly decided that it should have its own sanctuary, similar to the first mosques in Mecca, Medina, Kufa, Basra ... And the sixth caliph from the Umayyad family, al Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ( 705-715), whose possessions stretched from the east to the Pyrenees and the Atlantic in the west, began negotiations with representatives of the Christian community of Damascus, offering them to cede the territory of the basilica to the Muslims in exchange for permission to freely use the five temples in the city. The Christians were stubborn. Then the caliph threatened that he would order the destruction of the church of St. Thomas, which was even larger in size than the church of St. John. The Christian elders had to submit. By the way, subsequently all Christian churches were destroyed or turned into mosques, except for the Church of St. Mary, which today is the main cathedral of the Patriarch of Antioch.

Al-Walid ordered the destruction of the basilica, the removal of the remains of the Roman structures on the site of which it was erected, and began the construction of a mosque, "which was not and will not be more beautiful." According to the Arab historian Abd ar-Rashid al-Bakuvi, the construction continued throughout the ten years of the caliph's reign with the participation of 12,000 workers. The ruler spent seven years of kharaj (income) of the state on him. When papers with invoices were delivered to him on eighteen camels, he did not even look at them and said: "This is what we spent for the sake of Allah, so let's not regret it."

The creation "for the sake of Allah" was truly grandiose. What Arab architects created at the beginning of the 8th century served as a model for the entire Muslim world for centuries. During the construction of the Umayyad Mosque, technical and artistic techniques of Sasanian and Byzantine architecture were used, many elements of ancient temples were even preserved, on the site of which the construction was going on. However, the plan of the mosque and the internal structure received a completely different interpretation. And its decor was famous for its incomparable perfection.

The ensemble of the mosque is a rectangle 156x97 meters in plan. The prayer hall is freely visible in all directions - the ancient columns, preserved from the Romans and Byzantines, are separated from each other by five or more meters. Two-tiered arches rest on them, emphasizing the height of the hall, crowned in the center with a dome on four pillars, which is called "kubbat an-nasr" - "the dome of victory."

The hall of the mosque is illuminated by massive European-type crystal chandeliers. In the 19th century the prayer hall has changed its appearance somewhat. In particular, the windows and openings of the arches of the north wall were decorated with bright colorful stained-glass windows.
A steep staircase behind carved high doors leads to a high pulpit (minbar) made of white marble. From here, spiritual sermons are currently being broadcast on radio throughout the country.

The Grand Mosque has three minarets, and each one stands on Roman-Byzantine foundations. All of them have names: the minaret of the Bride (a quadrangular tower, since the ancient base is square), the minaret of Isa, that is, Jesus Christ (rises above the southwestern corner of the mosque), and the minaret of Mohammed - western (erected in 1184).

Muslims believe that on the eve of the Last Judgment, Isa (Jesus Christ) will descend to earth near "his" minaret to fight the Antichrist. And when this happens, a girl from the Ghassanid tribe will come out of the minaret of the Bride: she was the bride of Jesus, but the beauty was walled up in the walls of the tower that once stood on this place.

In this huge mosque there are many mysterious and mysterious places. In the depths of her courtyard, among the columns of the gallery, there is a small door leading to the so-called Mashhad Hussein - the chapel of Hussein: everyone in Damascus knows that here, in a capsule under a veil embroidered with Koranic inscriptions, lies the head of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad - Hussein, a martyr of Islam, who was killed at the Battle of Karbala in 681. His head was cut off, delivered to Damascus to the ruler of Syria, Muawiyah, and hung on the city gates - in the very place where King Herod once ordered the head of John the Baptist to be displayed. Nightingales, the legend tells, sang in the gardens of the city so sadly that all its inhabitants wept. Then Muawiyah, full of remorse, ordered that the head be placed in a golden sarcophagus and installed in a crypt, which later turned out to be inside the Umayyad mosque. They say that Muhammad's hair, which he cut off before his last pilgrimage to Mecca, is also kept there. Near the crypt, day and night, the mullah reads the Koran.
Umayyad Mosque in Damascus
And the capsule with the head of John the Baptist, known in Rus' as John the Baptist (in the Koran he is called Yuhann), is also located here, in the Umayyad mosque. It is kept in the center of the temple, in a small, elegant pavilion with a dome that repeats the shape of the arch thrown over it, and behind the lattice windows. How did she get here? She has always been here, but they found her, as they say, several centuries ago, during restoration work.

Through the famous aivan (colonnade) of the Umayyads, the courtyard of the mosque is clearly visible. In the center of the courtyard is a fountain for ablution, for the temple is a place of purification.
Perhaps nowhere else in the world can you find such a mosaic as in the Umayyad Mosque. panel with total area 35x7.5 meters are made by hammering glass or gilded smalt cubes into a binder mass - this is how mosaics were created in the Roman Empire. According to legend, this panel was made by masters commissioned by al-Walid from Constantinople. Whatever is depicted here: rural landscapes, and flowering corners of Damascus, and the Barad River with castles on its banks. The heirs of al-Walid, fearing the wrath of Allah, ordered to cover these images with lime mortar - examples of the culture of the early Islamic period, combining ornament and image, symbol and realistic reproduction of the earthly world. Now they have been restored.

When the envoys of Byzantium first saw the Great Mosque, they could not restrain their admiration, while uttering the historical phrase: "The beautiful mosque made us convinced that the Arabs had finally entrenched themselves in this country and we could never return here."

Unfortunately, misfortunes and disasters did not bypass this masterpiece of architecture - between 1068 and 1893, the mosque and its individual parts burned countless times. Three times - in 1157, 1200 and 1759 - earthquakes caused great damage to it. Since Damascus ceased to be the capital of the caliphate, Syria has been subjected to devastating raids by the Seljuks, the Mongols, or the Ottomans. But every time the mosque rose up and again delighted the Muslim world with its splendor.

Muslims from all over the world flock to the Umayyad Mosque today. In Damascus, it is the most visited. Muslims come here to purify themselves and pray, to hear and see the Word of Allah there, to partake of beauty, because, as the prophet said: “Allah loves beautiful things,” only with His help, with His blessing, such a miracle of harmony could appear on earth - temple in the center of the Muslim world, open to all believers.

Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the oldest cities in the world, it is about 6000 years old. For so long history of its existence, the city saw many peoples and conquerors: in the XIV century BC. e. The Hittites, who lived in Anatolia and northern Syria, reached this ancient settlement and called it Damashias. A century and a half later, the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III, who waged endless wars with the city-states of Syria, also captured Damascus: that was the Egyptian name of this city.

At the beginning of the X century BC. e. Damascus became the capital of one of the strongest Aramean kingdoms, and two centuries later the city was captured by the Assyrians, who evicted its inhabitants to Urartu. The rulers of the Achaemenid dynasty, Alexander the Great ... - even a brief listing of the conquerors who attacked Damascus suggests that the fate of this city was not cloudless and prosperous. The conquerors came and went, leaving their traces in the appearance of the city and its history.

The thousand-year connection of Damascus with Greco-Roman-Byzantine culture, which began after the invasion of Asia by the troops of Alexander the Great, ended as suddenly as it began. With just one storm, the Sassanian Persians captured the city, but already in 635 the Arabs conquered it, and from that time the history of Damascus as a Muslim city begins.

For a long time, after the Arabs captured Damascus, both Christians (in the right wing of the temple) and Muslims (in the left wing) performed their religious rites in the main temple of the city. But, having finally established themselves in Damascus and made the city the capital of their empire, the Umayyads asked the Christians to find another place for themselves, but for a long time mutual religious tolerance remained in Syria: the ringing of bells under the giant basilica, originally dedicated to John the Baptist, alternated with the call of the muezzin.

But time passed, and Damascus from a second-rate city, as it was during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and his first successors, turned into the capital of a huge caliphate. The city grew, prospered and grew rich, and the caliphs rightly decided that Damascus should have its own sanctuary. In addition, by the beginning of the 8th century, the number of adherents of Islam had increased so much that the grandiose basilica of John the Baptist with its three 140-meter spans-naves could no longer accommodate all Muslims, and there was no place for Christians there at all. And then the powerful caliph al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik, whose possessions stretched from China (in the east) to the Atlantic (in the west), began negotiations with representatives of the Christian community of Damascus. He offered them to cede to the Muslims their part of the Basilica of John the Baptist in exchange for permission to freely use the five other temples of the city. The Christians became stubborn, and then the Caliph threatened that he would order the destruction of the Church of St. Thomas, which was even larger in size than the Church of John the Baptist. And the Christian elders had to submit.

Caliph Abd al-Malik ordered the destruction of the basilica and the removal of the remains of the Roman structures on the site of which it was erected, after which the construction of a mosque began, "which was not and will not be more beautiful." Its construction continued throughout the reign of this caliph, who spent seven years of state income on its construction. When papers with bills were delivered to him on 18 camels, he did not even look at them and said: “It was all spent for the sake of Allah, so let’s not regret it.”

The Umayyad Mosque, which has become a truly grandiose structure, has served as a model for the entire Muslim world for centuries. The Great Mosque has three minarets, each of which has its own name: the minaret of the Bride, the minaret of Isa (Jesus Christ) and the minaret of Mohammed. Muslims believe that on the eve of the Last Judgment, Isa will descend to the ground near his minaret to fight the Antichrist. And when this happens, a girl from the Ghassanid tribe will come out of the minaret of the Bride: she was the bride of Jesus Christ on earth, but the beauty was walled up in the walls of the tower that once stood on the site of the minaret.

In the huge Umayyad Mosque, magnificent decorative compositions with unique architectural and landscape images have been preserved to this day, but there are also many mysterious and mysterious places in it. For example, in the depths of her courtyard, among the columns of the gallery, there is a small door leading to Hussein's chapel. Everyone in Damascus knows that here - in a capsule under a veil embroidered with verses from the Koran - lies the head of the third Shiite Imam Hussein, who was killed in the battle of Karbala. His head was cut off and delivered to Damascus to the Syrian ruler Mua-wiya, who ordered to hang it on the city gates - in the very place where King Herod once ordered the head of John the Baptist to be put up. Legend tells that the nightingales sang in the gardens of Damascus so sadly, that all the inhabitants of the city wept. And then Caliph Muawiyah repented of his deed and ordered that the head of Imam Hussein be placed in a golden sarcophagus and installed in a crypt, which later turned out to be inside the Great Mosque. It is said that the hair of the Prophet Muhammad, which he cut before his last pilgrimage to Mecca, is also kept there. Near the crypt, the mullah reads the Koran day and night, and Persian speech is constantly heard in this corner of the mosque, since the flow of pilgrims from Iran never stops.

The capsule with the head of John the Baptist is also kept in the Umayyad mosque - in a small elegant pavilion with barred windows and a dome, the shape of which repeats the arch thrown over it. How did the head of John the Baptist end up in the Great Mosque? According to stories, she was always here, but they found her only during the construction of the mosque. The caliph wanted to get rid of it, but as soon as he touched it, he could not leave the place, and decided to leave the relic alone. Both Christians and Muslims come to worship this shrine.

The famous commander Salah ad-Din, the first sultan of Egypt from the Ayyubid dynasty, is buried near the Great Mosque. His life came at a time when there was a conscious need to unite and defend Islam. Therefore, throughout his life, Salah ad-Din led aggressive campaigns, but in the Middle Ages he was sung for nobility and mercy to the crusaders he defeated. In the middle of the park, in front of the northwest corner of the Umayyad Mosque, stands a fine mausoleum with a domed roof. This is the tomb of Salah ad-din, who died in early March 1193. The walls of the mausoleum are covered with magnificent white and blue faience, and the tombstone, made of white marble, is decorated with floral ornaments and embedded colored stones. At the head of the bed, on a coverlet of green velvet with gold fringe, lies a huge green turban. Nearby, under glass, is a silver wreath donated in 1898 by Emperor Wilhelm as a token of admiration for the great Sultan Salah ad-Din. The emperor also donated a precious silver lamp hanging over a wooden headstone.

In passing, we will tell you that mainly the tombs in Damascus remind of the turbulent history of the first centuries of Islam. So, for example, outside the walls of the old city, on the edge of Guta, there is an outwardly unremarkable squat building surrounded by an aivan. But the interior of the mosque is simply magnificent: the pattern on its walls seems to be beautiful lace and harmonizes with a huge chandelier sparkling with crystal pendants. The piercing blueness of the dome of the mosque is also striking, making one recall Persian turquoise. And in fact, the mosque was built by Iranian masters and at the expense of Iran, but this mosque is special - it is female, and there are not so many of them in the Muslim world.

In the mosque there is a mausoleum in which Zeynab, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, is buried. Little is known about her, but it is believed that, together with her brother Hussein, she was on that tragic day in the battle near Karbala. Zeinab was captured by Zayd Ubaidul, the son of Caliph Muawiyah, and was taken to Damascus in his convoy. And then she died as a martyr from 99 stab and cut wounds. Not only Shiites come to the Zeinab Mosque, but also all women who want to ask for the intercession of Allah.

Among other famous tombs of Damascus, the burial of the Ethiopian Balal, an associate of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslim muezzin in history, stands out.