The Great Mosque of Hama (Arabic: جَامِع حَمَاة ٱلْكَبِير, romanized: Jāmiʿ Ḥamāt al-Kabīr), is a mosque in Hama, Syria. It is located about 400 meters (1,300 ft) west of the citadel. Built in the 8th century CE, it was heavily damaged in a 1982 uprising, but today it has been completely restored.
The building used to be a temple to worship the Roman god Jupiter, later it became a church during the Byzantine era. When the Muslims entered Syria, they converted it to a mosque under the rule of Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah.
The Great Mosque has two minarets. One is a square-based tower adjacent to the prayer hall and from an inscription on its surface, dates back to 1124, although some argue that its base is of Umayyad origin,[1] while others say it was constructed in 1153.[2] The second minaret is octagonal in shape and was built by the Mamluks in 1427.[1] At the side of the main northern courtyard is a smaller square courtyard containing the tombs of two 13th century Ayyubid kings.[1]
The mosque was almost completely destroyed during the civil disturbances in Hama in 1982,[1] but has since been rebuilt by the Antiquities Department of the Syrian government.[2] Both minarets were destroyed during the disturbances.[2] By 2001, the Great Mosque has been fully restored and its reconstruction is faithful to the original Umayyad design in nearly every detail.[1]
