Aleppo's 1,300-Year-Old Great Umayyad Mosque Reopens After 13 Years of War

Thirteen years after its doors were forced shut by war, one of the Islamic world's great landmarks is alive again. Syria's historic Great Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo formally reopened on Thursday, October 8, after a painstaking restoration that rebuilt its collapsed minaret stone by stone from the original rubble. Worshippers can once again pray inside, and photographs of the ceremony were celebrated by Muslims across the world.

The reopening ceremony was attended by Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib, presidential media adviser Ahmad Muwaffaq Zaidan, the Minister of Endowments Mohammad Abu al-Khair Shukri, senior officials, religious scholars and local figures. State-run Alikhbariah TV broadcast the event live. "Today, we are honoured to reopen one of the houses of God, restoring Aleppo's great mosque after difficult years in which it was subjected to destruction," al-Gharib said.

The damage the mosque suffered tells the story of Syria's civil war in miniature. The mosque and its surroundings saw some of the fiercest fighting between 2012 and 2016 as former regime forces and opposition factions battled for control of Aleppo's Old City, with the site changing hands multiple times. Bombardment damaged its dome, arcades and historic minaret; the tall minaret fell in 2013. The mosque was taken out of service that year and sat silent ever since.

Restoration began after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8, 2024. Aleppo's Endowments Directorate launched a careful project aimed at preserving the mosque's architectural and historical character rather than simply rebuilding it. The most remarkable achievement is the minaret: workers recovered many of its original stones from the rubble, sorted and documented each one, then placed them back into the reconstructed tower. The restoration also covered the mosque's arcades, courtyard paving, ablution area, public drinking fountain and the Hijaziyah hall.

The building's history stretches back more than 1,300 years. Most historical accounts trace its foundation to the early eighth century, with construction beginning under Umayyad Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik in 715, on the site of a former cathedral and cemetery dating to Roman rule. For centuries it served not only as a place of prayer but as a centre of religious teaching and scholarship in Aleppo — a haven for scholars, preachers and thinkers. The governor also recalled its role in the 2011 uprising, when demonstrations against the former regime emerged from the site.

The mosque sits inside Aleppo's historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage site that suffered enormous destruction during the conflict. Its restoration is therefore about more than one building: it is a symbol of the city's slow recovery. Some worshippers had already returned to pray in partially repaired sections during Ramadan in 2025; this week's reopening follows far wider work across the whole complex. Officials say the mosque will once again host Quran study circles and religious lessons alongside daily prayers.

For the people of Aleppo, the return of their great mosque is a deeply emotional moment — proof that what war tore down can be raised again. For the wider world, it is a reminder that heritage is not a luxury: when a community rebuilds its landmarks, it is rebuilding its identity.

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