Author: Gamal Adawi Abstract The Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus stands as a definitive monument of Islamic civilization, frequently desc...
Author: Gamal Adawi
Abstract
The Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus stands as a definitive monument of Islamic civilization, frequently described by medieval chroniclers as the "Pearl of Damascus" and the "Paradise of the East." This study provides a comparative and descriptive analytical examination of the mosque through the lenses of two preeminent travelers: the Andalusian Ibn Jubayr (d. 1217 CE) and the Moroccan Ibn Battuta (d. 1377 CE). Despite the century-long gap between their respective visits, their seminal works—Rihlat Ibn Jubayr and Tuhfat al-Nuzzar—serve as vital historical mirrors, reflecting the mosque’s architectural resilience and its central role in the medieval Arab-Islamic world.
Utilizing a historical and comparative methodology, the research explores how these travelers recorded the mosque’s aesthetic and structural evolution. The findings reveal a significant convergence in their accounts. Both authors employ rich, ornate language to detail the mosque’s unique artistic features, including its intricate mosaics, vegetal motifs, marble ornamentations, and iconic minarets. While Ibn Jubayr offers a highly rhetorical and stylistically elaborate description focused on religious symbolism, Ibn Battuta provides a more structured, reportorial account that emphasizes social functions, endowments, and institutional roles.
The study argues that travel literature serves as an indispensable archaeological and geographical source, comparable in value to material inscriptions and manuscripts. By analyzing these texts, the research underscores the mosque’s status as an unparalleled masterpiece of Umayyad ambition, echoing Caliph Al-Walid I’s vision of a structure without equal. Ultimately, this paper highlights the Umayyad Mosque not merely as a relic of the past, but as a living symbol of cultural identity and architectural innovation. It addresses a scholarly gap by providing a dedicated comparative analysis of the mosque’s artistic features within the broader tradition of medieval Islamic travel writing.
Keywords: Ibn Jubayr, Ibn Battuta, travel literature, Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Islamic architecture, artistic decoration.
Subject: Acknowledgement of Publication – Dr. Gamal Adawi & Hassan Hijazi
Dear Editorial Team at World Wide Horizon,
On behalf of Dr. Gamal Adawi and myself, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the official acceptance and publication of our research titled: & "An Analytical Study: The Great Umayyad Mosque in Damascus: Through the Journeys of Ibn Jubayr and Ibn Battuta: As a Model";
We are honored to see this work featured in your esteemed journal and available across global libraries and digital platforms.
I am writing to formally clarify my role in this and future projects. As Dr. Gamal Adawi’s Primary Research Partner and Literary Translator, I am responsible for the linguistic architectural framing, translation, and academic adaptation of his studies and books for international publication. This collaboration ensures that the rich historical and cultural insights of his research meet the highest standards of global academic discourse.
Moving forward, I will serve as the official point of contact for all matters related to this publication, including the request for the Official Certificate of Publication and any future submissions. We have a robust pipeline of upcoming studies and books authored by Dr. Gamal and translated/managed by myself, which we look forward to sharing with your platform.
For your records, please find our brief profiles below:
- The Author: Dr. Gamal Adawi An esteemed academic and researcher at the College of Sakhnin, specializing in historical analysis, teacher education, and Islamic heritage. His work focuses on the intersection of travel literature and architectural history.
- The Translator & Partner: Hassan Hijazi A specialized literary translator and research coordinator. My role involves the high-level translation of complex historical texts and the management of international academic publishing projects, acting as the bridge between regional research and global scholarship.
We look forward to a continued and fruitful professional relationship with your journal.
Sincerely,
Gamal Adawi
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