Usually called the Mosque of ʿUmar, second successor of the Prophet, this very ancient sanctuary dates back at least to the ʾUmayyād period, but underwent various repairs in the 12th century. It is built entirely of basalt with the exception of the marble columns and certain other materials salvaged from Roman monuments. The minaret is square with twin bays like the older part of the "Minaret of the Bride" in Damascus, and has been copied in the towers of convents of southern Syria (ʾUmm al-Jimāl, Sahqqa). On the wall of the qibla in the prayer-room is preserved a fragment of a very ancient epigraphical frieze of sculpted stucco.
Jacques Ghislain de Maussion de Favières. Damascus, Baghdad: Capitals and lands of the caliphs. Translation to English by Edward J. Banks. Librairie orientale (Dar el-Mashreq), Beirut, Lebanon. 1972.
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