Syria Trails › Places

Al-Omari Mosque, Bosra

الجامع العمري في بصرى

One of the oldest surviving mosques in the Levant, in the heart of old Bosra, traditionally attributed to the time of Caliph Umar.

In the heart of old Bosra stands al-Omari Mosque, one of the oldest surviving mosques in the Levant, traditionally dated to the time of Caliph Umar after the Muslims entered Bosra early in the Islamic conquest.

The present building largely reflects a 12th-century renewal with later Ayyubid and Mamluk works, yet keeps the simplicity of early mosques. Built of Hauran black basalt, it has an open courtyard with colonnades and a prayer hall, reusing Roman and Byzantine columns and capitals, and a square stone minaret on Bosra's skyline.

Caliph Yazid II is said to have completed it in 721, and the governor Kumushtakin renewed it in the early 12th century. It served as a rest stop for travellers, trade caravans and pilgrims, who used its courtyard as a market and a place to sleep.

Restored in the 20th century, it lies within the Ancient City of Bosra World Heritage site near the Roman market, baths and colonnaded street.

Note: photos may not reflect the site's current condition.

For the visitor

Photos

Photos: seier+seier — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY) · Dosseman — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)