ʾUmayyād Mosque: Shrine of Saint John the Baptist

 

 This domed kiosk is located in the central nave east of the transept. Saint John the Baptist (a.k.a. al-Nabi Yaḥya النبي يحيى) is revered by Muslims as well as Christians. 

The current shrine, a rather odd structure, has replaced the old one destroyed by the great fire of October 1893. It consists of a quadrangular base, four walls adorned with handsome carved windows crowned with semicircular arches, and a superstructure made up of a ribbed dome resting on a polygonal drum divided by short columns into numerous bays. 

Several candles, 1/4 metres thick and 3 meters high, flank the edifice. An iron chandelier hangs from the ceiling in front of the shrine; it currently is laden with electric bulbs instead of the wax candles of times past. 

Combined with the rich colors of the carpet, the gilded decorations of the dome, and the marble of the pillars of the transept, the light produces a fairy tale sight during religious festivals.

Hans von Kiesling. Damaskus, altes und neues aus Syrien

ʾUmayyād Mosque: the Inner Façade

ʾUmayyād Mosque: the Prayer Hall