Damascus is home to many Mosques, each drawing from various periods of its history such as the Umayyad Caliphate (of which Damascus was the seat), Abbasid Caliphate, Fatimids, Ayyubids, Mamluks, Ottoman Empire and finally the modern Syrian Arab Republic.
Damascus is the capital of Syria, the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth holiest city in Islam. Known colloquially in Syria as aš-Šām (الشَّام) and dubbed, poetically, the "City of Jasmine", Damascus is a major cultural center of the Levant and the Arab world.
The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a member of the clan. The family established dynastic, hereditary rule with Mu'awiya I, the long-time governor of Greater Syria, who became caliph after the end of the First Fitna in 661. After Mu'awiya's death in 680, conflicts over the succession resulted in the Second Fitna, and power eventually fell to Marwan I, from another branch of the clan. Syria remained the Umayyads' main power base thereafter, with Damascus as their capital.
Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, commonly known as al-Walid I, was the sixth Umayyad caliph, ruling from October 705 until his death in 715. He was the eldest son of his predecessor, Caliph Abd al-Malik. As a prince, he led annual raids against the Byzantines from 695 to 698 and built or restored fortifications along the Syrian Desert route to Mecca. He became heir apparent in c. 705, after the death of the designated successor, Abd al-Malik's brother Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan.
The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports concerning the mosque, and historic events associated with it. Christian and Muslim tradition alike consider it the burial place of John the Baptist's head, a tradition originating in the 6th century. Two shrines inside the premises commemorate the Islamic prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali, whose martyrdom is frequently compared to that of John the Baptist and Jesus.
The Emirate of Córdoba or Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba was a medieval Islamic kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula.
Bāb aṣ-Ṣaghīr, also called Goristan-e-Ghariban, may refer to one of the seven gates in the Old City of Damascus, and street in the modern city of Damascus, Syria. It has qubūr on either side of the road, and is located in the Dimashq Neighborhood, southwest of the Umayyad Mosque.
Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque is a mosque located in the city of Sayyidah Zaynab, in the southern suburbs of Damascus, Syria. According to Twelver Shi'ite tradition, the mosque contains the grave of Zaynab, the daughter of Ali and Fatimah, and granddaughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Ismaili Shia tradition place Zaynab's tomb in the mosque of the same name in Cairo, Egypt. The tomb became a centre of Twelver religious studies in Syria and a destination of mass pilgrimage by Twelver Shia Muslims from across the Muslim world, beginning in the 1980s. The zenith of visitation normally occurs in the summer. The present-day mosque that hosts the tomb was built in 1990.
The Sayyidah Ruqayyah Mosque is located in Damascus, Syria, and contains the grave of Sukainah, also known as "Ruqayyah", the young daughter of Al-Husayn ibn Ali.
Nabi Habeel Mosque, or "Mosque of the Prophet Abel", is a shrine dedicated to Habeel, located on the west mountains of Damascus, near the Zabadani Valley, overlooking the villages of the Barada river, in Syria, the Levant.
The Sulaymaniyya Takiyya is a takiyya in Damascus, Syria, located on the right bank of the Barada River. Commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the western building of the complex was built, following the plans of Mimar Sinan, between 1554 and 1559. Another building was added eastwards from it in 1566 to be used as a madrasa.
The old city of Damascus is the historic city centre of Damascus, Syria. The old city, which is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, contains numerous archaeological sites, including some historical churches and mosques. Many cultures have left their mark, especially Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic. In 1979, the historical center of the city, surrounded by walls of Roman era, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In June 2013, UNESCO included all Syrian sites on the list of World Heritage in Danger to warn of the risks to which they are exposed because of the Syrian Civil War.
The Murad Pasha Mosque is an early Ottoman-era mosque and mausoleum in Damascus, Syria, located in the Suwayqa sector of the Al-Midan quarter. The mosque was erected and named after Murad Pasha, who served as the Ottoman governor ("wali") of Damascus between 1568-1569. The mosque was built in 1568. The mosque is also known as the Naqshbandi Mosque after the Naqshbandi sufi order which it served as a center for.
Umayyad architecture developed in the Umayyad Caliphate between 661 and 750, primarily in its heartlands of Syria and Palestine. It drew extensively on the architecture of older Middle Eastern and Mediterranean civilizations including the Sassanian Empire and Byzantine Empire, but introduced innovations in decoration and form. Under Umayyad patronage, Islamic architecture began to mature and acquire traditions of its own, such as the introduction of mihrabs to mosques, a trend towards aniconism in decoration, and a greater sense of scale and monumentality compared to previous Islamic buildings. The most important examples of Umayyad architecture are concentrated in the capital of Damascus and the Greater Syria region, including the Dome of the Rock, the Great Mosque of Damascus, and secular buildings such as the Mshatta Palace and Qusayr 'Amra.
The Lebanese people in Syria are people from Lebanon or those of Lebanese descent who live in the country of Syria. There are many prominent people in Syria who are of Lebanese descent.
In early 2016 there was a series of bombings in the mainly Shi'ite town of Sayyidah Zaynab and attributed to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri was an Umayyad general, head of security forces and governor of Damascus during the reigns of caliphs Mu'awiya I, Yazid I and Mu'awiya II. Though long an Umayyad loyalist, after the latter's death, al-Dahhak defected to the anti-Umayyad claimant to the caliphate, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr.
Al-Sayeda Zainab Mosque is a historic mosque in Cairo, Egypt, and constitutes one of the most important and biggest mosques in the history of Egypt. The name is an honor to Sayyidah Zaynab bint Ali, one of the daughters of Ali, fourth Caliph and first Shi'ite Imam, and his first wife Fatimah, daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Küçük Ahmed Pasha was an Ottoman military commander who twice served as beylerbey (governor-general) of Damascus, one term as beylerbey of Anatolia and died commanding troops against Safavid Iran. By eliminating the rebel Ilyas Pasha in Anatolia and the powerful Druze chief Fakhr al-Din in Mount Lebanon and his command role against the Safavids, Ahmed Pasha played an important part in the Ottoman imperial revival under Sultan Murad IV.
The Khadra Palace, known in Arabic as Qubbat al-Khadra, was a residence of the Umayyad caliphs in Damascus. It was founded by the first Umayyad caliph, Mu'awiya I, while he was governor of Syria under Caliph Uthman. The Khadra Palace consisted of a series of interconnected buildings, including the caliphal residence, stables, mint and prison, situated directly behind the Umayyad Mosque. Little information is available describing the structure, other than the green color of its dome, its construction from baked brick, timber and marble pavement and its setting amid gardens.
The Salimiyya Takiyya is a takiyya in as-Salihiyya, Damascus.
