Damascus · Old City · Syria

Umayyad Mosque

mosqueUNESCOhistoricgoogle verified

easy

10/10

best: morning, late afternoon

spiritual, awe-inspiring, layered

A local would say...

Three religions built their holiest structures on this same patch of ground — each one demolished the last.

Built in AD 705 on the site of a Byzantine cathedral, which itself stood atop the Temple of Jupiter, the Umayyad Mosque is one of the oldest and holiest mosques in the world. Its golden mosaics, sweeping courtyard and three ancient minarets are mesmerising; the shrine of John the Baptist lies within its prayer hall.