03 February, 2011

Important structures and elements in Damascus mosque. (part VIII in the series about the Grand Mosque of Damascus)


The entire ‘temenos’ of the Roman Period appears to have been cleared of all earlier internal structures, pagan, Christian, and Muslim, and an overall plan was implemented. When the project began all remaining fragments on the site from Roman to Byzantine periods were removed to accommodate a large innovative mosque planned according to Islamic principles. The whole layout is rectangular approximately of 157 by 97 meters and consists of two main sections. The courtyard occupies nearly half of the site with a length of 122.5 and a width of 50 meters surrounded by galleries of horseshoe arches. The sahn is flagged in stark white marble, thus reflecting the intensity of the sun with brilliant effect. The covered mosque itself is nearly 136 m in length and a little over 37 m in depth, formed by three arcades running parallel to south wall. A broad transept, running from north to south, cuts three arcades into two nearly equal halves, each half consisting of eleven arches. The courtyard contains three structures of polygonal form standing on columns and topped with domes. 
The three interesting structures in the courtyard are the domed octagonal structure at the western end is the Treasury (Beit al Mal), which was raised intentionally on Roman columns for security reasons; the second in the middle of the courtyard is the square domed ablution fountain, and the third at the eastern end is Zein al-Abidin Dome, an Ottoman period addition.

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