As we wandered beyond the confines of the souk in Old Damascus, we came upon the Jabri house, a large Ottoman-style house with a large courtyard that serves as a restaurant.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This picture shows the size of the courtyard, as well as the enormous arch that marks the entryway to the Jabri House. The atmosphere is enhanced by vines that are growing on wires strung across the courtyard, as well as a large fountain in its center
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

From the Jabri house, we wandered back towards the Omayyad Mosque, which dates from the early days of Islam, when the Omayyad (or Umayyads) moved the capital of Islam from Saudi Arabia to Damascus, where it was heavily influenced by the Persian culture. This is a picture of the minaret, approaching from the south. This overcast weather was only about the third cloudy day in our two months in the Middle East.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here is a picture of the courtyard inside the mosque. From the picture you get a pretty good idea of the size of the courtyard as well as the mosque itself. Worship takes place in the mosque proper, housed in the wing just to the left of this picture.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A strangely familiar looking pilgrim . . . Actually, it's Tracy, modeling the very fashionable clothing they provide western women visiting the mosque. Quite fetching, the ensemble is equally at home on the runways of Milan or the mosques of Syria!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here is a shot of the prayer hall of the mosque. To the left you can see the worshippers facing the mihrab or the niche in the wall facing Mecca. The entire space is open, except from the mihrab and minbar, shown below, as well as several memorial to religious leaders. It is an open space, covered with carpets, and illuminated by the large chandeliers shown in the picture.
 
 
 
 
 

Finally, here is a picture of the "front" of the worship area. The large structure in the center of the picture is the minbar, from which the imam gives the Friday service. The entire front wall is lavishly decorated with Arabic calligraphy and geometric designs (Islam forbids pictures or "graven images). Just visible halfway up the minbar is the mihrab, or niche in the wall that faces Mecca.
 
 
 
 
 

Our last night we dined in Ottoman splendor at Elisar, a restaurant tucked amid narrow windy streets at the eastern end of the Old City. The setting, as you can see, was spectacular although, unfortunately, the food was not! Our lack of enthusiasm for the food distressed the staff no end. As a result, we were "treated" to an endless wave of bland dishes improperly prepared. Our hopes of cutting our losses were replaced with a inexorable wave of Middle Eastern hospitality, and many unpalatable courses later, we escaped! While their culinary skills may be lacking, we found the Syrian people to be warm, friendly and, above all, enthusiastic!
 
 

Well, those are the highlights of our first real trip. Please excuse the mini-history lesson: it's probably more than you ever wanted to know about a mosque.