Most Amazing Mosque's - Part 1

From ancient times long past to present day, man has constructed mosques revered for their stunning architectural beauty and distinctive features — grand entrances, soaring minarets, dramatically tiled domes, monumental courtyards, majestic halls, ablution fountains, and even tombs. In the first of a multi-part series, we will take a look at some of the most amazing and dazzling mosques in the world.

Masjid Alharam

Al-Masjid al-Ḥaram (“The Sacred Mosque”) — commonly known as the Grand Mosque, Haram or Haram Sharif — is the largest mosque in the world located in the city of Mecca, and considered by Muslims as the holiest place on Earth.

Covering an area of 3,840,570 square feet (356,800 sq. meters) including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces, it can accommodate up to 4,000,000 during the Hajj period, one of the largest annual gatherings in the world.

The entire building is constructed out of the layers of gray blue stone from the hills surrounding Mecca. The 4 corners roughly face the 4 points of the compass. In the eastern corner is the Hajr-al-Aswad (the Black Stone), at the northern corner lies the Rukn-al-Iraqi, at the west lies Rukn-al-Shami, and at the south Rukn-al-Yamani.

The four walls are covered with a curtain — Kiswah — which is usually of black brocade with the Shahada outlined in the weave of the fabric. About two-thirds of the way up runs a gold embroidered band covered with Qur’anic text.

The Islamic teaching states that nothing is magical about the Grand Mosque except for the oasis Zamzam Well which has never dried ever since it was revealed.

Ibn Tulun Mosque

Named after the Emir Ahmed Ibn Tulun2, a soldier among the troops of Samara who was promoted to rule Egypt between 868 and 883 AD, the mosque was constructed on a small hill in Cairo called Gebel Yashkur — “The Hill of Thanksgiving.”

Local legend has it that it is here that Noah’s Ark came to rest after the Deluge, instead of at Mount Ararat.

The grand ceremonial mosque was intended as the focal point of Ibn Ţulun’s capital, al-Qatta’i, which served as the center of administration for the Tulunid dynasty. Al-Qatta’i was completely destroyed in the early 10th century AD, and the mosque is the only surviving structure.

It was constructed in the Samarran style common with Abbassid constructions, built around a courtyard with one covered hall on each of the 4 sides, the largest being on the side of the qibla, or direction to Mecca.

The original mosque had its ablution fountain (sabil) in between the inner and outer walls. A distinctive sabil with a high domed roof was added in the central courtyard at the end of the 13th century by the Sultan Lajīn.

The minaret features a spiral-shaped outer staircase similar to that of the famous minaret in Samarra. 

The mosque has been restored several times, as recently as 2004 by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. During the medieval period, several houses were built up against the outside walls of the mosque. Most were demolished in 1928 by the Committee for the Conservation of Arab Monuments.

Two of the oldest and best-preserved homes remain — the “house of the Cretan woman” (Beit al-Kritliyya) and the Beit Amna bint Salim — which were originally 2 separate structures, but a bridge at the 3rd floor level was added at some point, combining them into a single structure.

Parts of the James Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me” were filmed at the Mosque of Ibn Tulun and in the Gayer-Anderson Museum — the house, which is accessible through the outer walls of the mosque.

Ortaköy mosque in Istanbul

Hassan II Mosque
The Hassan II Mosque is the 2nd largest in the world, and its minaret is the world’s tallest at 689 feet (210 meters). Located in Casablanca, Morocco, it was designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau and built by Bouygues. 

Built on reclaimed land, almost half of the surface of the mosque lies over the Atlantic water. Part of the floor has a gigantic glass base so worshippers can kneel directly over the sea, with room for 25,000. These features were specifically requested by King Hassan II.

An additional 80,000 people can be accommodated in the courtyard. From above, spotlights shine at night from the top of the minaret toward Mecca.

It also includes a number of modern touches — it was built to withstand earthquakes and has a heated floor, electric doors, and a sliding roof.

The mosque displays strong Moorish influence and the architecture of the building is similar to that of the Alhambra and the Mezquita in Spain.