Great Mosque of al-Nuri (Homs)

Great Mosque of al-Nuri الجامع النوري الكبير
The interior of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Homs
Basic information
Location	Homs, Syria
Geographic coordinates	34°43′51″N 36°42′53″E / 34.7309°N 36.7146°E / 34.7309; 36.7146Coordinates: 34°43′51″N 36°42′53″E / 34.7309°N 36.7146°E / 34.7309; 36.7146
Affiliation	Islam
Country	Syria
Architectural type	Mosque

The Great Mosque of al-Nuri (Arabic: جامع النوري الكبير‎‎) also called al-Nouri Mosque, is a mosque in Homs, Syria. It is situated off ash-Shouhada street, adjacent to the city's historical roofed souks ("markets").

Originally, under the Roman Empire, the Great Mosque was the site of the city's pagan temple for the sun god ("El-Gabal"). The temple gained Emesa (Homs) prominence in the region as an important center of paganism and one of its priests, Elagabalus, became Emperor of Rome. El-Gabal's temple was paid tribute by Aurelian after he attributed his victory of Zenobia to the deity.

Later during the Byzantine phase of the Empire, the temple was converted into a church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. After the city was conquered by the Muslims, one-fourth or half of the church was transformed into the Friday Mosque (Jama'a Masjid) of Homs. According to numerous Muslim geographers who visited the city throughout the centuries of Islamic rule, a talisman made of white stone stood over the gate of the mosque facing the church. It depicted an image of a man whose lower body was that of a scorpion, and local tradition claimed that if a man was stung by a scorpion, he should take clay, press it on the image, then dissolve the clay in water and drink it. Afterward, pain from the sting would cease and he would quickly recover.

In 1154, Muslim geographer al-Idrisi wrote that the mosque was "one of the largest of all the cities of Syria". During the reign of Nur ad-Din the Zengid sultan, between 1146 and 1174, much of the modern structure was built and thus the name "al-Nuri" was attributed to him. The Great Mosque has since undergone extensive modifications over the centuries.