A rare look inside the ancient Omayyad Mosque of Damascus

Описание: (29 Jan 2016) SYRIA MOSQUE
SOURCE: AP TELEVISION
RESTRICTIONS: MIDDLE EAST EXTRA CLIENTS ONLY
LENGTH: 4:59
SHOTLIST
AP Television
Damascus, Syria - 11 January 2016
1. Wide of the inner main yard of the Umayyad Mosque, minaret
2. Mid of the inner yard, minaret
3. Various of the inner main yard of the mosque
4. Wide of one of the four gates of the mosque
5. Wide of the western gate of the mosque and people entering
6. Mid of a piece of mosaic inside the mosque
7. Wide of what Muslims believe to the tomb of Saint John the Baptist inside the main sanctuary of the mosque
8. Wide of the tomb of Al-Imam Al-Hussein (son of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb, the fourth Rashidun caliph of Sunni Islam)
9. Various of the mosque's sanctuary
10. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mohammad al-Ahmad, Syrian Ministry of Religious Endowments:
"When the primary sketches had been made to build the mosque, there was a church within the area on which the mosque was to be built. So Muslims negotiated with the Christians to take the land and build another four churches in return in other places. Then Caliph al-Walid bin Abdul Malek built the Maryamiyeh Church in the Old City and paid the Christians of Damascus the money to build another three churches."
11. Various of the facade of the mosque
12. Various of the inner yard of the mosque
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammad al-Ahmad, Syrian Ministry of Religious Endowments
"The most important things in the mosque are the tomb of the head of Prophet Yahya (Saint John the Baptist), and another tomb, Al-Hussein, and the tomb of the hero Saladin. The mosque has four gates, one in each direction: in the east, west, north and south. And it has three minarets. Each one has a name: the al-Aarous (the bride) minaret which is located in the northern wall in the middle of it, and the minaret of prophet Issa (Jesus) which is the oldest minaret in the Islamic world, and the Qaitabai which is located in the south point of the mosque."
14. Various of minaret
15. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) visitor to Umayyad Mosque (no name given):
"The minarets and the mosaic are very pleasant to look at, they are wonderful."
16. Close of ancient pots inside the sanctuary of the mosque
17. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) visitor to Umayyad Mosque (no name given)
"God bless it. The antiques, the monuments, the people visiting the place, the peace you feel - all wonderful."
18. Various of the inner yard of the mosque
LEADIN:
The Associated Press has gained rare access to the most ancient mosque in Syria.
Its cameras were able to capture images of the Umayyad Mosque's sanctuary, courtyard, minarets and monuments.
STORYLINE:
The Umayyad Mosque is one of the oldest and largest in the world.
It was built by the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid bin Abdul Malek in 634, after the Arab conquest of Damascus, on the site of a Christian basilica dedicated to John the Baptist.
"When the primary sketches had been made to build the mosque, there was a church within the area on which the mosque was to be built. So Muslims negotiated with the Christians to take the land and build another four churches in return in other places," says Mohammad al-Ahmad, Syrian Ministry of Religious Endowments.
Caliph al-Walid bin Abdul Malek built the Maryamiyeh Church in the Old City and paid the Christians of Damascus the money to build another three churches, he says.
Muslims believe the head of Saint John the Baptist lies inside the mosque.
"The most important things that exist in the mosque are the tomb of the head of Prophet Yahya (Saint John the Baptist), and another tomb, Al-Hussein, and the tomb of the hero Saladin," al-Ahmad says.

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