Qubbat al-Khazna


Qubbat al-Khazna, meaning the "Dome of the Treasury", is an old structure, located inside the courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. It is an octagonal structure decorated with mosaics, standing on eight Roman columns. The Dome of the Treasury, like the mosque's prayer hall facade, was once completely covered in the colorful mosaic decoration for which the mosque was famous. The dome was built under orders from the governor of Damascus, Fadl ibn Salih, in 789.
The dome used to hold the mosque's large endowments. Some Greek, Latin, Syriac, Coptic, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Georgian old manuscripts were also housed in Qubbat al-Khazna in the past. The manuscripts were generally kept out of view, but when German Emperor Wilhelm II visited Damascus in 1898, accompanying German scholars were allowed to handle them as a special favor, and for a limited time only.