The Al-Omari Mosque () is an early Islamic-era

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

in the Roman city of

Bosra Bosra (), formerly Bostra () and officially called Busra al-Sham (), is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Daraa District of the Daraa Governorate and geographically part of the Hauran region. Bosra is an ancient cit ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

.Al-Omari Mosque
Archnet Digital Library. It was founded by Caliph

Umar Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Mu ...

, who led the

Muslim conquest of Syria The Muslim conquest of the Levant (; ), or Arab conquest of Syria, was a 634–638 CE invasion of Byzantine Syria by the Rashidun Caliphate. A part of the wider Arab–Byzantine wars, the Levant was brought under Arab Muslim rule and developed ...

in 636 CE, and it was completed in the early 8th century by Caliph

Yazid II Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (; — 26 January 724), commonly known as Yazid II, was the ninth Umayyad caliph, ruling from 720 until his death in 724. Although he lacked administrative or military experience, he derived prestige from his ...

. The mosque was renovated in the 12th and 13th century CE by the

Ayyubid The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egyp ...

dynasties. Before it was destroyed, this mosque was one of the oldest standing mosques in the world. It served as a rest stop for travelers, Arab caravans on trade routes through Syria and pilgrims traveling to Mecca. The travelers used the central courtyard of the mosque as a marketplace as well as a place to sleep. The arcades of the mosque on the eastern and western sides enclosed this central courtyard. The south side of the mosque had a double arcade that led to the mosque's prayer hall. The mosque's square minaret was one of the earliest examples of Umayyad-style minarets. Mosques in Damascus and Aleppo have similar style minarets from the same dynasty. This style of minaret was potentially inspired by the steeples of Syrian churches. Damage to Bosra began in 2012, as shells and tanks caused significant damage during the Syrian civil war. In 2014, shell crater damage caused a hole in the roof of the mosque, and the upper level of the mosque was also destroyed. Rubble from the mosque is scattered around the destruction site, and there is shell damage in the surrounding area as well. In March 2015, rebels captured Bosra from the Syrian Government after heavy shelling of the town and caused further damage to the area.

References

8th-century mosques Mosques in Syria Umayyad architecture in Syria Bosra Buildings and structures in Daraa Governorate 8th-century establishments in the Umayyad Caliphate 721 establishments Religious buildings and structures completed in the 720s Mosque buildings with minarets in Syria {{Syria-mosque-stub

See also

References