Umayyad Mosque - Damascus, Syria

Syria is an amazing country. It has much more of an Islamic culture than Turkey did, which in my opinion makes it more interesting. I like the smaller city of Aleppo a little better than Damascus. But Damascus isn't bad either; it's just bigger and a little bit more "modern" relative to Aleppo. Aleppo is just slightly smaller and has a little more character. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus was worth the visit. It was built in 705 C.E. It's supposed to be the 4th most important mosques in the Muslim world (behind the mosques in Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem). The mosque is noted for its age, size and the stunning Byzantine-style golden mosaics that cover the courtyard walls.