Umayyad Mosque

The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus (Arabic: جامع بني أمية الكبير‎, Romanization: Ğāmi' Banī 'Umayya al-Kabīr), located in the old city of Damascus, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. It is considered by some Muslims to be the fourth-holiest place in Islam.

After the Arab conquest of Damascus in 634, the mosque was built on the site of a Christian basilica dedicated to John the Baptist (Yahya), honored as a prophet by Christians and Muslims alike. A legend dating to the 6th century holds that the building contains the head of John the Baptist. The mosque is also believed by Muslims to be the place where Jesus (Isa) will return at the End of Days. The mausoleum containing the tomb of Saladin stands in a small garden adjoining the north wall of the mosque.

History

Pre-Islamic period

Aramaean temple of Hadad-Ramman

Damascus was the capital of the Aramaean state Aram-Damascus during the Iron Age. The Arameans of western Syria followed the cult of Hadad-Ramman, the god of thunderstorms and rain, and erected a temple dedicated to him at the site of the present-day Umayyad Mosque. It is not known exactly how the temple looked, but it is believed to have followed the traditional Semitic-Canaanite architectural form, resembling the Temple of Jerusalem. The site likely consisted of a walled courtyard, a small chamber for worship, and a tower-like structure typically symbolizing the "high place" of storm gods, in this case Hadad. One stone remains from the Aramaean temple, dated to the rule of King Hazael, and is currently on display in the National Museum of Damascus.

White Minaret (Qadian)

The White Minaret (Urdu: منارہ المسیح, English: Minaret of the Messiah) is a tower and monument standing beside the Mubarak Mosque in Qadian, Punjab, India.

The foundation stone for the minaret was laid by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement on 13 March 1903. Due to a lack of funds, construction subsequently stopped. Work continued under Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad the second Khalifa on 27 November 1914, reaching completion in 1916. The minaret has three stages, 92 steps, and a total height of about 105 feet. The Minarat-ul Masih is classified as a historical monument.

Inception

On 28 May 1900, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed to have received the revelation:

Ghulam Ahmad then solicited donations for the building of the minaret to commemorate the following hadith by the Islamic prophet Muhammad regarding the second coming of Jesus:

An associated advertisement argued that construction of the minaret would fulfill the prophecy:

The White Minaret is situated 3644 km east of Damascus, Syria.