Great Mosque, Aleppo (must see)

The Great Mosque of Aleppo is the largest and oldest mosque in the city of Aleppo. The present mosque dates form the 13th century Mamluk period. It is located in its Old City and is said to entomb the remains of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. It was built in the beginning of the 8th century. However, the current building dates back to the 11th through 14th centuries. The minaret was built in 1090, and was destroyed during fighting in the Syrian civil war in April 2013. The site of the Great Mosque once was the former Agora from the Hellenistic period, which later became the garden for the Cathedral of Saint Helena, during the Christian era rule of Syria.

The mosque, begun about 715, was built on confiscated land that was the Cathedral cemetery. In 1260, the entire mosque was razed by the Mongols. The Great Mosque is built around a vast courtyard that connects to different areas of the mosque, positioned behind the colonnaded arcade. The courtyard is well-known for its black and white stone pavement that forms complex geometric patterns. The main prayer hall of the mosque holds the primary elements of the mosque: the shrine of Zechariah, a 15th century minbar, and an elaborately carved mihrab.