Great efforts by specialists to remove and restore the effects of terrorism on the Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo

Aleppo-Sana

The Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo was not spared the attacks and brutality of the terrorists, and it suffered great damage that led to the destruction of its famous minaret and the destruction of stone facades and wooden ceilings. Most of its assets were damaged, and since the city’s purification by the heroes of the Syrian Arab Army three years ago, the workshops remove the traces of terrorism and return the mosque to what was Previously, after forming a committee to rehabilitate and restore the mosque

Dr. Sakhr Olabi, Director of the Umayyad Mosque Restoration Project, stated in a statement to SANA correspondent that a first aid plan has been developed to restore the mosque, which included the stone facades of muqarnas, balconies, shoulder blades and pillars, pointing to the diversity of the architecture in the mosque, which dates back to the historical stages, civilizations and cultures that went through, indicating that the restoration work It started with the exterior facade, in which the experiments of stone restoration succeeded, so that the transition to restoring the internal facades, removing lead projectiles from them and from their columns and restoring them with appropriate mixtures and correcting deficiencies in the walls and broken stones is corrected.

Olabi indicated that the restoration work on the mosque’s roofs and roofs, the internal tribal facades, the termination of wood that rises above the doors, and the establishment of electricity, lighting and acoustics networks were carried out. The restoration work on the floor of the mosque’s courtyard was delayed because it contained the numbered stones of the minaret, which were documented to be returned during the construction of the mosque’s minaret.

He said that the minaret of the mosque was systematically destroyed due to its detonation from the terrorists from the inside, and during the dismantling of its lower parts for its reconstruction, the primary old method of construction was discovered and now the solid base of the minaret is being praised by using large deaf stones to carry the 45-meter high minaret tower and the weight of each stone is about 500 Kg.

And Dr. Olabi indicated that the mosque consists of the inner courtyard (courtyard of the mosque) and has a place for ablution topped by two small domes that have been restored and coated with lead and the southern section contains the main (tribal) prayer hall and galleries for prayers and rest, especially in the summer.

The mosque’s nave contains two sundials (two solar clocks) indicating the movement of the sun to determine the prayer times, and they have been damaged. Work is being done to fix them. There is a small wooden bench dedicated to giving religious lessons and a concrete pillar with lanterns attached to it for lighting at night.

Camera Sana monitored the restoration work, where the worker Ali Al-Muhammad talked about the work of building the base of the mosque's minaret by laying cement and building large stones on it among the worker Abdul-Razzaq Al-Jumaa.

Mohamed Azouz from the woodwork workshop talked about the end of the decorative and arabesque work of the 12 external doors and arches at the tribal façade, and work is being done to end the mosque's internal covering.

The Umayyad Mosque is one of the most prominent historical, religious and archaeological monuments in the city of Aleppo and it has been built for more than 1300 years.

Qusay Razouk
Photography: Rodin Alloush