There was a Christian church, the Basilica of St. John the Baptist, on the site prior to the construction of the mosque, which was completed in 715 AD, but none of the original structure remains. I find the Umayyad Mosque to be interesting as a transition between Byzantine styles (especially the mosaic facade) and later mosque architecture. Michelin calls it a "prototype of Arabic mosques".
Aymen
22-Jun-2007 16:01
very classic style ....like a Roman Church ....no ?
