The plan of the mosque is abstracted by eliminating some individual features from that of the mosque of the ʾUmayyāds; it is, of course, much reduced in scale, but no new ideas have been introduced. The court has become square; its arcades have angular piers and columns in rhythmic alternation. The minaret stands to the right of the north gate (now walled up) and of the north-south axis, just as does the north minaret of the Great Mosque. The east and west gates have the same position as there. The prayer hall, 20.5 by 31.5 m. (2:3), is covered by three gable roofs of wood, parallel to the south wall, with a minimum of supporting elements consisting of two arcades of six pillars each, in order not to impede the view of the interior. Although the direction of these three naves is east-west, the wider span of the central arch creates the effect of a vertical transept, which, together with the slightly wider south nave, forms in space an accentuated T, which is desirable for the Friday ceremonies. The whole is the idea of the Great Mosque, not hampered by restrictions imposed by a pre-existing building.
Ernst Herzfeld. Damascus, Studies in Architecture IV. Ars Islamica XIII-XIV 1948 (p. 118-138).
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