The Great Mosque of Damascus From Roman Temple To Monument of Islam

DESCRIPTION

287 pp. + [2], profusely illustrated in b/w photographs, plans, figures, tables, hard back binding in d/w, copy fitted in a carton box, biblio. Municipal Administration Modernisation Program, Damascus, 2009. The Omayyad Mosque is Damascus greates treasure. The author Professor Talal Akili invested many years and detailed effort to document the mosque and review its architectural and urban development throughout various historical stages. The mosque used to be the Temple of the Aramaic deity Hadad in the ancient past, and of Damascus Jupiter in the recent past, before becoming the Church of St. John the Baptist yesterday, and the Grand Omayyad Mosque today. In each of those stages, it remained the unique wonder of its time, and the examplary prototype initiated in temple construction elsewhere.