The Grand Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Umayyad Mosque
The Grand Mosque of Damascus holds a shrine which is believed to contain the head of John the Baptist, a prophet revered by Christians and Muslims alike. The tomb of Saladin is located in a small garden bordering the north wall of the mosque. During the Aramaean era, a temple of Hadad stood at the place where this mosque stands now. The Umayyads were the first rulers of Arabia in the 8th century after the end of the first Muslim caliphate, and made Damascus their capital.