Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria

Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria

The Ummayad Mosque, established (706 -715 CE) under the Umayyad caliph Al Walid. It is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world that has a great  architectural importance (mosque interior is approx. 4000m2).

In 2001 Pope John Paul II visited the mosque and it was the first time a pope paid a visit to a mosque. The minaret in the southeast corner is called the Minaret of Jesus as many Muslims believe that when Jesus returns, he will descends near this Minaret