Description Possibly the first major mosque, the Great Mosque of Damascus is an outstanding example of building reuse and a symbol of the city's religious diversity.
The building's site was held sacred since prehistory, with religious structures continuously occupying it. Under the Roman Empire, the present-day structure was begun as a temple to Jupiter. Later on in the 4th century, it was converted into a church of St. John the Baptist as the Empire became Christian.
The Muslims arrived in Damascus in the 7th century, and renovated the building into a mosque starting in 706. The Christians were given four sites elsewhere in the city for church construction as compensation. The minarets were added in the 11th century.
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