Syria Trails › Places

Omari Mosque, Daraa

الجامع العمري في درعا

One of the oldest mosques in Islamic history, its founding attributed to the era of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, in the heart of the old city of Daraa.

The Omari Mosque sits in the heart of the old city of Daraa, and is one of the oldest mosques in Islamic history, with widely circulated historical accounts attributing its founding to the era of the Rashidun Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab in the 7th century AD, during the early period of the Islamic conquest of the Levant.

Over its long history the mosque underwent repeated restoration and rebuilding through successive Islamic eras, giving its current design a blend of different architectural layers reflecting the succession of historical periods over the city of Daraa, from the Umayyad to the Ottoman era.

The mosque retains an important religious and social standing among the people of Daraa, having remained for centuries a center of worship and social gathering in the old city, and it is still regularly attended by worshippers today despite its architecturally modest design compared to mosques in Syria's other major cities.

The Omari Mosque in Daraa stands as a witness to the deep early Islamic roots of Daraa governorate, and a site well worth visiting for anyone interested in the history of the first Islamic conquests in the Levant.

For the visitor

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