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Syrian Arab Republic

This is a short glance about some historical places in Damascus (the capital of Syria)
But first plz watch the photos In my profile Before you read,
they will talk about their historical value.
((THE OMAYYAD MOSQUE)):
Omayyad Mosque takes a special position in the history of the mosque itself and represents the history of architecture, particularly the Islamic architectural techniques, due to its special distinction, hugeness and luxurious ornamentations, paintings and mosaic which decorate the walls of the mosque forming some great coordinated masterpieces.
The Hadad Aramaic temple is the first known temple where Omayyad mosque is located now. Three thousand years ago people worship Hadad, the Syrian god of lightings and storms. The temple had probably changed into a Roman one right after Romans ruled Damascus. However the new Roman temple had a new name: Jupiter, the Damascene temple.
Anyhow, according to the historians, Hadad temple was converted into a church at the end of the forth century A.C.
The Muslim leader Khaled Ben Al Waleed changed some parts of the church and made them a mosque when he conquered Damascus. Muslims and Christians used to enter the mosque from the same gate: Muslims were supposed to pray in the eastern side, while Christians had to pray in the western side.
The Omayyad Caliph, Abdul Malek bin Marwan rebuilt the mosque.As he kept all the Roman relics of the temple, the church wasn’t damaged. The Mosque had faced many natural disasters, such as fires and earthquakes. The huge fire of 1893 damaged all its outlines. However, people of Damascus made considerable efforts to build the mosque again.
((Damascus citadel)):
the Saljukis were the first to construct the castle, the construction having been started by King Atzin Adaq in 1076 A.D. The castle was surrounded by a trench which would be filled with water during sieges.
The Roman castrum or military camp was here, and it was probably a stronghold before that. What remains to be seen today dates back to the Ayyubid and Mameluke periods, when Sultan al Adil used this fortification to preserve Damascus against the Crusaders and Mongols in the 13th century.