The Al-Atassi Mosque, Homs

A white stone mosque at the foot of the mound that carries the Homs citadel, standing inside a wide planted garden. Unlike the mosques of the old city, which grew in layers, this one went up in one campaign to a single plan: a long prayer hall, rows of small domes above it, a square-shafted minaret at the side.

Getting there

It sits at the foot of the mound, on the side facing the Damascus road. You walk to it before going up to the citadel or after coming down. There are three doors: the main one on the north, a west door onto the Damascus road, and an east door on the citadel side.

Where the name comes from

The mosque takes its name from the Atassi family, one of the old landowning families of Homs. Hashim al-Atassi, of that family, was three times president of Syria. The building stands on the ground the family had used as its graveyard; work began in 2002 and the mosque opened in Ramadan 2009.

What to see

The main prayer hall holds 3000 people and was planned as one large volume. The mihrab is wooden and plain. The floor is carpeted in dark red, and the doors and windows follow old woodwork patterns. There is a separate prayer room for women and a smaller one for daily prayers. The garden is far larger than the mosque itself: 17000 square metres.

What most people miss

The library room off the courtyard. It holds manuscripts and old books the family gathered over generations, and beside it there is a class for Quran memorisation. The door is not always open; ask the caretaker.