Damascus!

Even the name sounds full of mystery and the promise of hidden beauty - and this is what Damascus is all about. The city has a very legitimate claim (as legitimate as it can be with so much history involved) to being the oldest constantly-inhabited in the world, and wears it in an amazing blend of the ancient and modern.

The Ummayad Mosque typifies all that is Damascene, and a lot of that which is Arabic - an austere, almost plain exterior counter-balanced by incredible internal elegance and beauty. The courtyard and interior of the mosque is exquisitely calm after the bustle of the souqs outside; a further contrast I couldn't help noticing is that between this place and those other great edifices of religion, the great cathedrals of Europe. While a cathedral is built to impress and almost awe it's visitor with it's solemnity, elaborateness and an almost oppressive quiet, this mosque, while exhibiting all the splendour, felt far more like a community gathering place. No altar, no seating, no specific pieces of art or iconry, and no pulpit from which an individual exerts their influence over the faithful.

No - here is a very public place to which people come for very private reasons. No-one seems unwelcome, despite the many different reasons they are there, and the sense of awe is arrived at through the subtle beauty and geometry of the building and the designs which adorn it.

Well I say no-one is unwelcome... However I think perhaps this woman could have been more impressed by my choice of camera angles. I think she has a point, I probably should have taken more care with making the lines of the mosque intersect with the frame corners a bit better. And that tower does look a bit wonky.