Great Mosque of al-Nuri, Homs: Difference between revisions

 

Later during the [[Byzantine]] phase of the Empire, the temple was converted into a church dedicated to [[Saint John the Baptist]] during the reign of [[Theodosius I]] as part of [[Christian persecution of paganism under Theodosius I|Christian persecution of paganism]]. After the city was conquered by the [[Muslim]]s, one-fourth or half of the church was transformed into the Friday Mosque (''Jama'a Masjid'') of Homs. According to numerous Muslim geographers who visited the city throughout the centuries of Islamic rule, a [[amulet|talisman]] made of white stone stood over the gate of the mosque facing the church. It depicted an image of a man whose lower body was that of a scorpion, and local tradition claimed that if a man was stung by a scorpion, he should take clay, press it on the image, then dissolve the clay in water and drink it. Afterward, pain from the sting would cease and he would quickly recover.<ref>le Strange, 1890, pp.353-357.</ref>

 

In 1154, Muslim geographer [[al-Idrisi]] wrote that the mosque was "one of the largest of all the cities of Syria".<ref>le Strange, 1890, p.355.</ref> During the reign of [[Nur ad-Din Zangi|Nur ad-Din]] the [[Zengid]] sultan, between 1146 and 1174, much of the modern structure was built and thus the name "al-Nuri" was attributed to him. The Great Mosque has since undergone extensive modifications over the centuries.<ref name="Mannheim"/>