Historic Damascus mosque reopens after 15-year closure

Shafaq News- Damascus

The Sulaymaniyya Takiyya Mosque in Damascus reopened to worshippers on October 31 after about 15 years of closure.

Syrian Endowments Minister Mohammad Abu Al-Khair Shukri, who reopened the mosque, told Shafaq News it would host five daily prayers, Quran memorization classes, and religious study sessions, with space for visitors to ask questions on Islamic law. He also announced plans for a museum documenting the site’s history as a religious endowment and its role in caring for people in need.

The complex stands on the banks of the Barada River near the National Museum of Damascus. Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned it in the 16th century, and architect Mimar Sinan designed it. Hassan Al-Halabi, a history researcher, told Shafaq News that the complex welcomed poor people, travelers, and students and provided lodging for pilgrims and caravans bound for the holy lands. Parts of the complex later housed cultural and museum activities, while artisans displayed traditional crafts in its market.

In December 2025, Syria’s antiquities directorate announced that it had reached an agreement with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) to complete the restoration after working with Syria’s Endowments Ministry and the Syria Development Organization. The directorate estimated the cost of completing the project at $6 million to $8 million and said experts from Damascus University and abroad helped review and correct earlier work.

Crews reinforced the foundations and restored columns and domes, Shireen Naddaf, director of the Syria Development Organization’s tangible heritage program, told Syria’s Al-Thawra newspaper. Restoration of the larger takiyya, which houses the reopened mosque, was more than 95% complete, with work on the smaller takiyya and the crafts market planned for the next phase, she added.