This post is simply shots of people at the Umayyad Mosque. It was a people photographer’s paradise. The huge open courtyard gave a long zoom lens place to work, the magnificent architecture gave plausible deniability (it was hard to ascertain whether I was shooting people or architecture; Muslims, especially ladies, don’t like to be shot). I spent hours–probably at least four or five–here.
An old lady hobbling across the courtyard of the Umayyad mosque
A huge group of Iranian pilgrims sheltering beneath the arches
Iranians
A cute old couple
A black flock of Iranians egressing
Many Iranians, wailing loudly over Hussein’s death
The sermon
The preacher imam
Kissing and touching the shrine of Hussein’s, John the Baptist’s (see correction in comments below) beheaded head
Listening to the sermon
A conference
The incongruous juxtaposition of the ancient and the super-modern
More green glass kissing–can’t be good hygiene
I had lots of fun shooting the little kids running happily across the courtyard
Retrieved by big sister, who kept shyly examining me when she thought I wasn’t looking
Wrestling
Fairy
Two couples
A ninja?
One and three
The shadows of the evening sun
10 Responses
June 20th, 2008 at 12:43 am
These are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
yes, again you captured the moment great!
June 21st, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Wow, that’s incredible! Sounds to me like kissing that shrine would be like kissing the blarney stone in Ireland, hygiene-wise.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
The green shrine is actually where John the Baptists head is…not Husseins.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Thanks for the correction! We were going off hearsay from Muslim people we met in the mosque, but apparently their level of English and our level of Arabic confused the issue. According to Wikipedia, you are 100% correct. The green shrine inside does hold the head of John the Baptist. The shrine in the courtyard, on the other hand, holds the head of Hussein.
December 9th, 2009 at 1:20 am
The ‘Imam’ pictured (though not of the Umayyad) is the erudite scholar Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_al-Yaqoubi He is the famous Shadhili murshid and regular lecturer at the Umayyad and abroad. . . I’m quite surprised that you were there to capture him giving one of his regular talks at the Ummayyad (they are only about an hour long and held twice a week).
When I traveled to Damascus earlier this year to attend his classes I saw the tourists and pilgrims wandering; I recall wondering if those who were there to admire the facade were missing the beauty that was held within it.
December 9th, 2009 at 1:24 am
. . . So glad you didn’t. Great photos. Thanks for capturing the moment.
December 9th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Beautiful photographs! Thanks for sharing!
December 9th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Asalaamu alakhum to all! I see I’ve been linked from some email list. I’m glad y’all are enjoying the pictures. FYI, I visited Syria just before moving to il-Quds/Jerusalem where I lived and taught English in Ramallah and studied Arabic at il-Quds University. Allah y’salmuk! Masalaama.
December 9th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I only pray that one day Allah will take me toDamascus to visit the mosque of Umayyad.
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