Mosques around the world

The masjids of Allah shall be visited and maintained by such as believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish regular prayers, and practise regular charity, and fear none (at all) except Allah. It is they who are expected to be on true guidance.
[at Tawbah; 9:18]

	The Badshai Masjid The Badshahi Masjid, or the Imperial mosque of Aurangzeb, built in 1674, represents the very best of Mughal architecture and beauty. It is situated in Lahore, Pakistan, and was built by Fidai Khan, the foster-brother of the then Emperor, Aurangzeb Alamgir. It was constructed using a blend of white marble and red stone, decorated with beautifully engraved Qur'anic verses, and fresco.
	Al Aqsa Al Aqsa Masjid is located in al-Quds, Palestine. It is one of the Three Most holiest and sanctified masjids in Islam.
	The Alhambra Alhambra is located in Granada, Spain. The name Alhambra means "the red one" and refers to the colour of the mountain, on which it is built. It is one of the most beautiful masjids ever to have been built, together with its courtyards, gates, walls and gardens. Most of the construction of Alhambra took part under Yusuf the first (1333-1354) and then his son Muhammad the fifth (1354 - 1391).
	The Shah Jahan, Woking Masjid The Woking (or Shah Jahan) Masjid was the first (and oldest) purpose-built masjid; built at Woking in Surrey, England in 1889. The building inspired by the Taj Mahal, is one of the oldest masjids in Europe. It was built with the money from the ruler of Bhopal, Begum Shah Jehan, after whom the masjid was named. The idea came from a Dr Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner; an orientalist and traveler whose ambition it was to build a place of learning. It was built to to cater for students at the Oriental Institute in nearby Maybury. A decade later the Oriental Institute closed down and with it the Mosque. It was opened again some years later by a Muslim Missionary and remains till today; a centre for Muslims in Woking, alhamdulilah.
	Quba' Masjid The Quba' Masjid is the first mosque that was ever built in Islam. It is situated just outside Madinah, in Saudi Arabia. The first stones were positioned by Prophet Muhammad and the masjid was completed by his companions, RadiAllahu anhum. The masjid came to be built, after the prophet stopped over there to pray, on hijrah (migration) from the city of Makkah to Madinah. It is this masjid that is also called "Masjid al-Taqwa" as mentioned in the Qur’an: "There is a mosque whose foundation was laid from the first day on piety; it is more worthy of thy standing forth (for prayer) therein. In it are men who love to be purified; and Allah loveth those who make themselves pure" [at-Tawbah; 9:108].
	Sankore Masjid The Sankore Masjid in Timbuktu, Mali, became an important Islamic house of worship in the Mali Empire, one of the great empires of the western Sudan, in northern Africa. It was first built in 989, (the early 15th century A.D) by al-Qadi Aqib. The masjid is in traditional Sahelian style out of dried mud, has architecturally, a large unique pyramidal mihrab, and is one of the three great masjids there; the Djingareyber and Sidi Yahia being the other two. The emperor at that time, Mansa Musa commissioned the Granada architect abu Ishaq as-Sahil to design the Sankore masjid The Sankore masjid at its peak was the religious, scientific and literary center of the Bilad’s-Sudan. It is famous for being the centere of the great Islamic scholarly community. It was the intellectual magnet where pious scholars were drawn from all over the Muslim world. As well as being a masjid, it was also the home of a teaching institute/university. Leading Islamic scholars from all over the Middle East taught at a school established in the masjid during the 16th century, and students came from all over to learn from there. Scholars who were mainly interested in history, Qur'anic theology, and law made the Sankore masjid a teaching centre, and laid the foundations of the University of Sankore. By the 1450s, the population in Timbuktu itself reached some 100,000, a quarter of these were scholars, many of whom had studied in Egypt or Makkah. The Mali empire originated in the 11th century, reached its peak in the 14th century, and subsequently declined, but the masjid and university continued to play an important role in the country’s culture and society. In time the eminence of the masjid and university declined; with many of the scholars teaching there being deported, and the invasion of the country. Timbuktu itself was in the 15th and 16th centuries an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the expansion of Islam throughout Africa and the Muslim world.
	Al Qiblataian Masjid al Qiblatain is situated in Madinah. The masjid in which our beloved Prophet received Allah Ta'ala's command to adopt the Ka'bah as the qibla. He was already facing Masjid al-Aqsa, so he turned his face 180 degrees towards the Ka'bah and so did his followers. Hence, this mosque came to be called Masjid Qiblatain, the masjid with the two qiblas. While the Prophet was praying, he was directed by angel Jibrail to turn from Masjid al-Aqsa (Jerusalem) to the Ka'bah (Makkah). "Verily! We have seen the turning of your face towards the heaven; surely we shall turn you to a prayer direction (Qibla) that shall please you." [al-Baqarah; 2:144]
	Al Azhar Al-Azhar was founded (and designed) by Jawhar As-Siqilli on 7th Ramadan, 361 AH, upon the order of the Fatimid Caliph Muezz LiDinAllah. It was called "Al-Azhar" after Fatima al-Zahraa, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad Al Azhar is located in El Hossein Square, Cairo, Egypt. It means "The Most Blooming", and was built in 972 (361 H), just shortly before the founding of Cairo itself. It was under Yaqub ibn Cals that the masjid became a teaching institute, with its staff of teachers chosen from among the judges and Muhtasibun (Muslim vigilantes). The first lecture was delivered in 975 AD, making it the oldest university in the world! Today the university built around the masjid is the most prestigious of Muslim schools, and its students are highly esteemed for their traditional training. While ten thousand students once studied here, today the university classes are conducted in adjacent buildings and the masjid is reserved for prayer. In addition to the religious studies, modern schools of medicine, science and foreign languages have also been added. The role of Al-Azhar in Egypt and the Islamic world is undeniable, as it issues fatwa and undertakes preaching. It is probably one of the most famous and prestigious masjids and teaching institutes in the world today. Alhamdulilah.
	Taj Mahal Taj Mahal means "Crown Palace" and is in fact the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tomb in the world. Agra, once the capital of the (Islamic) Mughal Empire during the 16th and early 19th centuries, is one and a half hours by express train from New Delhi, India. Tourists from all over the world come to see the Taj Mahal, to witness one of the richest examples of Islamic civilisation and beautiful archictectures. It isn't any wonder that the Taj Mahal is seen as one of the 7 wonders of the world. The Mughals were the descendents of two of the most skilled warriors in history: the Turks and the Mongols. The Mughal dynasty reached its highest strength and fame during the reign of their early Emperors, Akbar, Jehangir, and Shah Jehan. The Mahal (Palace) was built as a tomb by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 (17th Century) in memory of his second wife, Arjumand Banu (also known as "Mumtaz Mahal" - the Distinguished of the Palace), a Muslim Persian princess. It was designed by the Iranian architect Ustad Isa, and took 22 years to make. The Persian Empress used to accompany her husband in his military campaigns, and consequently died while accompanying her husband in Burhanpur (in a campaign to crush a rebellion) after giving birth to their 14th child. The death so crushed the emperor that all his hair and beard were said to have grown snow white in a few months. The Taj rises on a high red sandstone base topped by a huge white marble terrace on which rests the famous dome flanked by four tapering minarets. The dome is made of white marble, but the tomb is set against the plain across the river and it is this background that works its magic of colours that, through their reflection, change the view of the Taj. At each corner is a minaret (prayer tower), and passages from the Qur'an, adorn the outside walls. The Taj has different elements in its compund, including a masjid, which is why it is being described here.
	Sultan Ahmed Masjid The Sultan Ahmed Masjid is located in Istanbul, Turkey. .
	Ubudiah Masjid The Ubudiah Masjid is located in Kuala Kungsar, Perak, Malaysia. It was built in 1917 during the reign of the 28th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah I. The Sultan had made a vow that he would commission for the building for a mosque as a thanksgiving for the recovery from an illness that plagued him in his early years. [More masjids to come later inshaAllah] Links to other Mosques Masjid addesses in the UK Masjid addesses in the US Masjid addesses in Canada Masjid addesses in Austrailia Masjid addesses in New Zealand   [Mainpage] [Dua] [Prayer] [Dhikr]   Copyright © 2003 Mutmainaa. All Rights Reserved.