ʾUmayyād Mosque: the Inner Façade

 

 The center of the ʾUmayyād Mosque's north façade is occupied by a monumental three-level Gateway corresponding to the north end of the Transept, itself located in the middle of the Prayer Hall. 

This gateway is an elaborate structure made-up of three levels as follows:

- At the base is a triple gate composed of semicircular arches separated by two columns and flanked by two square-shaped gigantic buttresses. 

- On the second level are three arched windows, a large one in the middle surrounded by two smaller symmetrical bays. Two small columns separate these windows with the ensemble topped by a semicircular arch within a large rectangle studded with mosaics, leftover from the cataclysmic fire of 1893. 

- A pediment - not seen in the photo - occupies the third level. 

The transept is crowned by the Eagle's Dome. Only its uppermost, pear-shaped part is visible from the Mosque's central courtyard. 

Hans von Kiesling. Damaskus, altes und neues aus Syrien