In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, center, prays during Eid al-Adha prayer at a mosque in Damascus, Syria, Saturday Oct. 4, 2014. Assad has made a rare public appearance by attending prayers at a mosque in the capital, marking the beginning of the important Muslim holiday. (AP Photo/SANA)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has made a rare public appearance at a mosque in Damascus at the start of a Muslim holiday, a photo posted on the presidency's official Twitter feed on Saturday showed.
Assad is shown seated on the floor of al-Numan bin Bashir mosque in the front row of a group of men in prayers for the Eid al-Adha celebration.
The president is not frequently seen in public in Syria, which has descended into a civil war between fighters wishing to overthrow him and pro-government forces. It appeared the picture was taken early on Saturday.
One of Assad's last public appearances was in July at the presidential palace when he was sworn in for a new term and gave a defiant speech, vowing to recover all Syria from insurgents.
The capital remains in government control but there are frequent clashes between government forces and insurgents on the outskirts.
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