The courtyard is surrounded by arcades resting on pillars. The prayer hall has a transept and only two longitudinal naves, compared with three in the ʾUmayyād mosque. The dome in front of the miḥrāb follows the usual ʾAyyūbid model consisting of a calotte resting on two drums; the lower one is higher than the upper. The lower drum is octagonal with corner squinches alternating with large arches encompassing arched double windows. The upper drum is hexadecagonal, pierced by eight arched windows alternating with small blind niches decorated with a conch. This cupola is the only domed structure of the mosque; the other roofs consist of wooden rafters.
Ernst Herzfeld. Damascus, Studies in Architecture IV. Ars Islamica XIII-XIV 1948 (p. 118-138).
Plan and photo credit: ʾAḥmad ad-Dālī in Mawsuʿat al-ʾĀṯār fi Sūrīyyā.
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