The Great Mosque of al-Nuri stands on one of the most layered religious sites in Homs. Tradition holds that a Temple of Baal occupied this ground in antiquity, followed by a Church of St. John during the Byzantine period, before the mosque was built after the Arab conquest. Some of the columns inside the prayer hall are recycled from these earlier structures, making them among the oldest objects in the city.
The mosque suffered significant damage during the Syrian Civil War, when Homs saw years of intense fighting. Before the conflict it was one of the city's most important landmarks, its courtyard a gathering place at the heart of the old town. The extent of post-war restoration remains uncertain.