The plan of the ǧāmiʿ imitates the Great Mosque of the ʾUmayyāds. It is more elongated than the Ḥanābilā Mosque, a shape that makes the resemblance with the ʾUmayyād Mosque more striking but which is simply caused by the condition of the area: the west side follows the rise of the terrain produced by the outline of the antique hippodrome.
The building's design is almost identical in every respect to that of the ʾUmayyād Mosque: a courtyard surrounded by a simple portico, an oblong prayer hall covered by pitched roofs, and a wider, taller transverse aisle featuring a pediment and a maqṣūrā dome. The entrances, however, are arranged differently—one on the east side and another in the center of the north side—as is the minaret, which is situated at the northeast corner. The fundamental difference, however, lies in the prayer hall itself: it is highly elongated and consists of two aisles rather than three, separated by a pier-supported arcade.
Ernst Herzfeld. Damascus, Studies in Architecture IV. Ars Islamica XIII-XIV 1948 (p. 118-138).
Gérard Degeorge. Damas des origines aux Mamluks. L'Harmattan, 1997 (p. 233-234).
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