The Great Mosque of Aleppo (Umayyad Mosque) — Reopened in 2026 After 14 Years

A guide to the Great Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo — the city's oldest and largest mosque, its black-and-white stone courtyard, and its Seljuk minaret of 1090 that fell in 2013 and was rebuilt from its original stones. The mosque reopened in 2026 after 14 years. History, architecture and what's nearby — and we'll get you there.

In the heart of old Aleppo, beside the covered souk, stands the Great Umayyad Mosque — the city's oldest and largest mosque, and one of its great symbols. It came through hard years and lost its minaret in 2013, but it reopened in 2026 after 14 years — and its minaret has risen again from its own stones. Here's its story, its architecture and what's nearby.

History

The mosque stands on the site of an earlier Umayyad mosque; the present building dates largely to a 1158 rebuild under Nur ad-Din.
Its oldest part was the Seljuk minaret of 1090 — an architectural masterpiece that stood for nine centuries.
The broad courtyard is paved in black-and-white stone in the Aleppine manner, framed by arcades and the prayer hall.

The minaret that rose from its stones

In 2013 the Seljuk minaret collapsed during the war, breaking into more than 2,000 pieces.
Restoration began around 2017: the stones were sorted and catalogued (about 2,350 foundational blocks), missing pieces replaced with matching stone, and the minaret rebuilt by 2023.
After the arcades, prayer hall and courtyard were restored, the mosque reopened to worshippers and visitors in 2026.

The story of a minaret rebuilt from its own stones has become a symbol of Aleppo rising again.