Umayyad Mosque

The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, was located in the Rich District of Damascus, and is considered the fourth-holiest place in the Islamic religion.

It was constructed on the site of an ancient Christian basilica dedicated to John the Baptist between 706 and 715. The mosque was especially known for its three minarets, the Minaret of the Bride, the Minaret of Jesus and the Minaret of Qa'itbay.

Trivia

• Each of the three minarets of the Umayyad Mosque serves as a view point. The highest view point in Damascus is located atop the Minaret of the Bride. However, in reality, the tallest minaret of the Umayyad Mosque is currently the Minaret of Jesus, which, in-game, appears to be rather small in comparison. This is likely because the game is set in 1191, near the end of the Third Crusade, and only the Minaret of the Bride had been built at that time. The Minaret of Jesus was initially built by the Ayyubids 12 47 and then expanded by  the Ottoman Empire  in 1340. The Western Minaret (aka The Minaret of Qa'itbay) was built by the Malmuk sultan Qa'itbay in 1488. Despite this, they were replaced with smaller minarets that share many similarities with their present-day counterparts. The real minarets were likely the models used for these and the other minaret view points throughout in-game Damascus.
• After the Ottomans conquered Damascus in 1516, Selim I attended the first Friday prayer in the Umayyad Mosque.
• During Damascus' Roman period, the ancient building served as a temple for Jupiter.
• In 1196, a mausoleum for Saladin was built next to the northwest corner of the mosque.

Gallery

• 
  Altaïr looking upon the mosque from above
• 
  Altaïr watching the inner courtyard from the rooftops
• 
  The Minaret of Jesus
• 
  The inner courtyard with the mosque's cupola

Reference

• Assassin's Creed