The Omayyad Mosque   The Old City The Bazaars The Mosque The Museum Excursions Restaurants By Night Although restored without great skill by the Ottomans, the Omayyad Mosque still remains alluring due to its majestic proportions, its splendid golden-background mosaic compositions, and its colored marble paneling which have survived the ravages of time and men. On entering the mosque by the Bab EI-Barid gate, by a door on the west at the end of Souk Hamidiyeh (remove your shoes or put on the slippers provided by the management), you will notice the precious mosaics in the lobby. Subjects are varied, but they exclude the human figure. Foliage, acanthus and also buildings are represented. The facade of the lobby, on the yard's side, is particularly well preserved, but the most beautiful combination is under the porch at the left of the entrance: various buildings stand in line along a river in the shade of big trees. On the cupola of the Treasury, a small building standing at the left of the yard, a panel represents a palm-tree. The prayer room, along the yard to the right has been reconstructed according to its original arrangement, but the decoration is modern. At the bottom left near the entrance, a cupoled edifice contains the head of Saint John The Baptist, which the Christians revered in a crypt under a chapel. The Omayyad Mosque has three minarets. The one dominating the yard at the left near the entrance is called the Brides Minaret and dates back to the Omayyad period, except for the upper part which is modem. The minaret of Jesus, at the south of the prayer room, at the bottom right (south-eastern angle), is the most famous one. According to Moslem tradition's, Jesus Christ will return to earth through it to fight the Antichrist, just before the Last Judgment. As for the third, near the entrance on the Souk Hamidiyeh side, it stands with its slender shape, somewhat odd, but in-keeping with Egyptian monuments of the Mameluke period. It was erected in the 15th century by Sultan Qayt Bey.      Previous
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