After checking in at Al Rabie Hotel, we ventured out immediately to explore the famous Syrian capital. We walked through the busy streets and congested traffic, passed by the citadel, stroll through a covered souk, and at last reached the gate of the magnificent Umayyad Mosque, probably one of the most holiest Islamic sites in the world. The marble floor of the entry courtyard is clean and smooth. Like others, we took off our shoes, wandered in the courtyard and admired the two beautiful fountains.
The Umayyad Mosque was built in early 8th century by the Umayyad Caliphate at the shrine where Christian and Muslim pilgrims came to pay respect to St. John the Baptist. The small shrine which housed the head of St. John the Baptist still exists today within the Mosque. Inside the Mosque, it was fairly easy to locate the shrine of St. John the Baptist. It was kept in an elegant Classical structure with green-glazed archways on all four sides. Also kept in the Mosque included the head of Husayn, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad.
After a brief visit of the interior, we walked out to the courtyard and found our way to the Mausoleum of Saladin, the famous and powerful Muslim knight who fought off the Crusades and recaptured Palestine from the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Mausoleum is a small stone building in which a large coffin covered with green textile is placed at the centre.
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