Beirut, Lebanon
In Beirut, Lebanon
The Al-Omari Grand Mosque in Beirut's historic centre is one of the oldest places of worship in Lebanon, its stones carrying every layer of the city's past. Tradition holds that a first mosque was built here in 635, in the time of the caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, whose name it bears; before that the site held a Roman temple and then a Byzantine church, and some Roman columns and foundations are still visible. In the 12th century, during the Crusades, it became the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, built between 1113 and 1150 in Romanesque style with three apses, like churches of the same era in Tyre and Tartus. The Mamluks turned it back into a mosque in 1291 after retaking the Levant, adding the minaret and mihrab, and for centuries it was the city's main mosque. Badly damaged in the Lebanese civil war, it was fully restored by 2004, with its golden sandstone, courtyard and lofty arched prayer hall, a few steps from Nejmeh Square and the Beirut Souks.
It is a working mosque: visit outside prayer times in modest dress, women covering their hair, shoes off. Fifteen to thirty minutes is enough. It is on Weygand Street downtown; combine it with the Emir Assaf Mosque opposite, the two St George cathedrals and Nejmeh Square. Some downtown streets may be closed for security reasons, so check your route.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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MuseumBeirut, Lebanon
