The Great Mosque was first built by the Umayyads in the 8th century CE and was modelled on the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. It was almost completely destroyed in 1982 during the Sunni muslim uprising in Hama.

Hama is the location of the historical city of Hamath. In 1982 it was the scene of the worst massacre in modern Arab history. President Hafaz al-Assad ordered his brother Rifaat al-Assad to quell a Sunni Islamist revolt in the city. An estimated 25;000 to 30;000 people were massacred.