The Sinan Pasha Mosque

This is the mosque in Damascus that people recognise by its minaret: the shaft is faced in green glazed brick from top to bottom and stands out from streets away. Sinan Pasha built it in 1590, during his years as Ottoman governor of Damascus. It sits outside the old walls, south-west of Bab al-Jabiya, among the lanes of the market.

Getting there

On Suq Sinaniyya street. From the Al-Hamidiyah Souq it is a ten-minute walk south-west, towards Bab al-Jabiya. The lane is narrow and the shopfronts hide the facade, so it is easier to steer by the minaret than to look for the door.

What to see

The west portal is set under a tall muqarnas hood. Above the arch is a glazed tile panel of floral motifs, and below it a marble panel with an Arabic inscription. The minaret rises from the southern pier of that portal: a round base of black and white stone, then the green brick shaft, a single balcony carried on three rows of muqarnas, a carved stone balustrade and wooden eaves. An octagonal ablution basin stands in the middle of the courtyard, whose floor is paved in coloured stone laid out geometrically. The prayer hall is covered by one large dome, and the portico in front of it by seven small domes on marble columns.

What most people miss

The half-dome over the mihrab is built from black and white stone laid in a zigzag. It is one of the finest pieces of Damascene stonework. Most visitors come in, look up at the minaret and never turn to it. The marble minbar to its left is carved with floral motifs and roofed by a conical cap.