Great Mosque of Aleppo

Founding The site of the Great Mosque was once the agora of the Hellenistic period, which later became the garden for the Cathedral of Saint Helena during the Christian era of Roman rule in Syria. The mosque was built on land that formerly was used as the Cathedral cemetery. the construction of the earliest mosque on the site was commenced by the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid I in 715 and was finished by his successor Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik in 717. At the northwest corner of the mosque, the 45-meter high minaret was built by the Shia Muslim qadi ("chief Islamic judge") of Aleppo, Abu'l Hasan Muhammad in 1090, during the reign of Seljuk governor Aq Sunqur al-Hajib. Its construction was finished in 1094 during Tutush's rule. The architect of the project was Hasan ibn Mufarraj al-Sarmini. In 1281, the mosque was burned again by the Mongols, and the minbar was taken by the Armenians of Sis, according to Al-Mufaddal. The Mamluks (1260–1516) made repairs and alterations. Carved Kufic and naskhi inscriptions decorated the entire minaret along with alternate bands of stylized ornaments in patterns and muqarnas. The mosque was seized by rebel forces in early 2013, and, as of April 2013, was within an area of heavy fighting, with government forces stationed away. Countering assertions by the state media of Jabhat al-Nusra's involvement, opposition sources described them as rebels from the Tawhid Brigades who were fighting government forces around the mosque. Syrians have begun rebuilding and restoring the site, with some meager international assistance. ==Architecture==

Courtyard The Great Mosque contains a number of architectural similarities to the Great Mosque of Damascus, including a hypostyle plan with large marbled courtyard surrounded by porticoes. The vast courtyard connects to different areas of the mosque, positioned behind the colonnaded arcade. The courtyard is well known for its alternating black and white stone floor that forms intricate geometric arrangements. Two ablutions fountains, The hall has three naves, all lined with 18 quadrangular columns with cross-vaults. consisted of five levels with a crowning top encircled with a veranda. A muqarnas-style cornice divided the veranda top from the shaft. The structure was largely built of fine ashlar. According to ''E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam'', the minaret was "quite unique in the whole of Muslim architecture". The decoration of the minaret demonstrates a level of continuity with pre-Islamic Syrian architecture. Maqsurah The Great Mosque has a small museum annexed to it containing a number of ancient manuscripts. Similar to the Great Mosque of Damascus, a maqsurah was built in the form of a square domed room raised by one step above the floor level of the prayer hall, and adorned with Kashan tiles that cover all the internal surfaces of its walls. A large arched gate supported by two robust columns and topped with capitals as well as a bronze door screen comprise the entranceways to the maqsurah. The tomb containing the remains of the Prophet Zakariah, decorated with silver embroideries containing Quranic verses from the chapter of Mariyam, was located in the center of the room. The museum's number of valuable objects, including a box purportedly containing a strand of the Prophet Muhammad's hair, were subject to looting during the Syrian War in the 2013 clash. However, rebels claimed they had instead salvaged ancient handwritten Koranic manuscripts and hidden them. File:Great Mosque of Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria.jpg|The gate (2008) File:Great Mosque of Aleppo, Islam in Syria, Aleppo, Syria.jpg|The gate (2008) File:Great Mosque of Aleppo, Islamic art, Aleppo, Syria.jpg|Islamic ornaments on façade (2008) File:Great Mosque of Aleppo, Women of Syria in hijabs, Aleppo, Syria.jpg|Visitors in courtyard (2008) File:Shrine in the Omayad Mosque of Aleppo Syria.jpg|The shrine of Zechariah within the Mosque (2005) File:Great Mosque of Aleppo 03.jpg|Ablution fountains (2010) File:Great Mosque of Aleppo 05.jpg|Mihrab and minbar of the Mosque (2010) File:Mosquée des Omeyyades d'Alep.jpg|View from the citadel, before destruction of the minaret in April 2013 File:Umayyad Mosque, Aleppo, Syria (5077274473).jpg|Upper minaret, before 2013 destruction File:Great Mosque of Aleppo (1395100610143169195452).jpg|Great Mosque of Aleppo (December 2016) File:Umayyad mosque of aleppo.jpg|Inside view of the Great Mosque of Aleppo (2014) File:Umayyad mosque of aleppo 2.jpg|Full view of the mosque (2014) File:HPIM3062.JPG|Courtyard arcade (2010) File:Location map Syria Aleppo.png|Location within Aleppo ==See also==