Caliph al-Walid I resolved in 706 to build the Umayyad Mosque and supervised the project himself. About 12,000 workers took part. Completion is dated to 711 or 715. The site had held an Aramean temple, then a Roman Temple of Jupiter. Theodosius I turned it into a cathedral of John the Baptist in 391, and the present walls are the inner walls of the Roman temple.
The plan is basilical, with three parallel aisles crossed by a central nave leading to the mihrab. The grounds cover 318 by 512 feet (97 by 156 m), and the prayer hall is 446 by 121 feet (136 by 37 m). The Dome of the Eagle rises 118 feet (36 m). Gold mosaics of landscapes and buildings, with no human figures, cover about 43,000 square feet (4,000 sq m).
Fires struck in 1069 and 1893, and the latter collapsed the central dome. UNESCO listed the Ancient City of Damascus in 1979.
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