Umayyad Mosque

The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world, considered the oldest mosque still in use in its original form. Christian and Muslim tradition alike hold it as the burial place of the head of John the Baptist, a tradition dating to the sixth century, and two shrines inside the mosque commemorate Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, whose martyrdom is often compared to that of John the Baptist.