The Great Mosque of Aleppo, Syria
Construction of the mosque was started by Ummayad caliph al-Walid I in 715 and finished two years later. There is some debate over the true patron of the mosque, but much of the original mosque was lost long ago. In the 11th century, the Mirdasids had control over Aleppo and built a domed fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Then at the northwest corner of the mosque, a 45-meter-high minaret was built between 1090 and 1094. From the 11th through the 13th century, renovations and expansions to the mosque were commissioned and made the mosque the largest one in all of Aleppo.
The Great Mosque was known for the black and white stone floor of the courtyard which featured intricate geometric shapes. There are two fountains in the courtyard and an open prayer platform. The interior of the mosque has a main prayer hall to the courtyard’s south and features the shrine of Zechariah. The large prayer hall has been renovated over the years, and centuries of history can be seen in the design and construction of the great hall. There are also three other halls that that completely surround the courtyard and date from the 11th to the 14th centuries.
The minaret that stood by the mosque was unique in terms of Muslim architecture. One archaeologist credited it as being Mediterranean with elements of Gothic architecture. An anthropologist believed that it was a local phenomenon, something found only in Aleppo and Edessa. Next to the mosque is a small museum that holds numerous ancient texts and objects.
During the Syrian civil war the Great Mosque was heavily damaged. The interior halls were destroyed, looted and filled with debris. The courtyard is covered in rubble and smashed. The minaret is completely destroyed and the museum looted. There is hopes to rebuild and some rebels claim that they were able to take and hide many of the museum’s sacred texts, but until the war in Syria ends, there is little that can be done.