ZS20: Umawi Masjid @ Aleppo

The first thing that we did upon our arrival to the heart of Aleppo or Halab was performing our obligations at the Umawi Masjid or known by tourist as the Great Masjid of Aleppo. Hesam parked his H1 right infront of Masjid North gate. It was 16:50 hours. We went to the wash room, refreshed and made our ablution.
Located in the Old City, the Umayyad Masjid of Aleppo (Masjid al-Umayya bi Halab) is the largest and oldest mosque in the city of Aleppo in northern Syria. The present mosque dates from the 13th century Mamluk period, only the Seljuk minaret of 1090 is older.
While waiting for Nana and Afiqah, the kids spent their time relaxing on the pleasant cool courtyard (well known for its black and white stone pavement that forms complex geometric patterns), while Afi tried his sketching skill capturing the splendid architectural part of the Masjid. The courtyard holds two ablutions fountains. The layout of the Masjid was quite similar to the Umayyad Masjid ad Dimashq, the only thing is the size is relatively small.
It is built around a vast courtyard that connects to different areas of the masjid, positioned behind the colonnaded arcade.

The main prayer hall holds the primary elements of the masjid: the shrine of Prophet Zakaria a.s., a 15th century mimbar, and an elaborately carved mihrab. This large prayer hall originally had a basic straight rooftop with a central dome, but was replaced by the Mamluks with an intricate cross-vaulted system with arches and a small dome over the arcades.