The Umayyad Mosque of Damascus: Art, Faith and Empire in Early Islam By Alain George.

Chapter 5 is therefore devoted to a philological reconstruction of the Umayyad structure of the mosque. First, the great mosque of Damascus constituted a break from previous mosque architecture. The chapter recounts the main events occurring in and around the mosque over the centuries - especially interesting are the contestation of Damascus between the Fatimids and the Seljuks, and George's careful reconstruction of the fires and earthquakes that affected the mosque structure. [Extracted from the article]