Syria: Aleppo's Umayyad mosque destroyed - in pictures
The mosque, built between the 8th and 13th centuries, is reputedly home to the remains of John the Baptist's father. It is located in Aleppo's walled Old City, a Unesco World Heritage site. Heavy fighting during the Syrian civil war has ruined the holy site and toppled its minaret
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The Umayyad mosque was famous for its minaret, destroyed on 24 April, which had stood since 1090Photograph: Michele Falzone/Corbis
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The mosque has been extensively damaged by the Syrian conflict and its walls have long borne traces of the conflict. Until recently, the minaret stood tall above the mosque
Photograph: AP
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Now the minaret has been brought down by shelling. Bashar al-Assad's regime and anti-government activists traded blame for the attack. It is the second time in just over a week that a historic Sunni mosque in Syria has been seriously damaged
Photograph: AP
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The Umayyad mosque complex has served as a key battleground since last July, with rebels who are seeking to oust Assad's regime repeatedly laying siege to the site. As seen here, the damaged arcades are strewn with debris
Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images
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The complex is riddled with bullet holes
Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images
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Syrian rebels pray before an operation against regime forces in November 2012
Photograph: AFP/AFP/Getty Images
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A rebel moves through heavy rubble
Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images
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Rebels take cover during clashes with regime forces
Photograph: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images
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Rebel fighters stand amid sandbags in a damaged section of the Umayyad mosque
Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images
