The Hall of a Thousand Columns

The much awaited second installment of Tim Mackintosh-Smith's wonderful series following in the footnotes (and literal footsteps) of Ibn Batuttah the great medieval Tangerine traveler is reviewed in The Guardian.

Outside the mosque and burial place of of Abu Al-Darda' in the Citadel of Damascus. Abu Al-Darda' was a companion of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and one of the narrators of Hadith (sayings of the Prophet). After the Muslims conquered Syria, he resided in Damascus and became the city's judge during the reign of Caliph Uthman Ibn 'Affan. He died in 653.