25.09.2018 |

Aleppo Umayyad Complex and Library - Aleppo

The Aleppo Umayyad Complex and Library is situated in the city center. The complex also has a madrasa, which had valuable literary works and classrooms. The first construction of the building dates back to the Umayyad period. However, it has undergone numerous repairs and changes before taking its present form.

Aleppo and its surroundings were attacked by the Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas in 962. The building, which was damaged as a result of this attack, was repaired by Sayf al-Dawla in 965.

The building was extensively renovated after the Seljuks, notably by the Ayyubids after a fire in 1159. Only the minaret has remained in its original form after these renovations. In 1260, the mosque was destroyed again when the Mongols invaded Aleppo. The building was also repaired in the Ottoman period.

The complex, library and manuscripts were damaged during the civil war in Syria in 2013 and the minaret was destroyed by the military forces of the government.

 

Bibliography

http://www.selcuklumirasi.com/architecture-detail/aleppo-great-mosque