BEAUTIFUL MOSQUE PICTURES AROUND THE WORLD

1. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque,Brunei:

Located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei, the golden topped dome of the mosque shines in the night sky. Although Brunei population is only 400,000, 2/3 of the population of Brunei adhere to Islam, laws are based on S2haria. The country is extremely proud of its Muslim population, and the golden mosque was built to honor this section of the country. At a cost of around 5 million USD, the Bruneian Sultan spared no expense: imported Italian marble pillars and floor, granite from Shanghai, crystal chandeliers from England, ornate carpets from Saudi Arabia and a main dome of pure gold. 

2. Masjid al Haram (The Holy Mosque) – Saudi Arabia:

Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām or the Grand Mosque  surrounds Islam's holiest place, the Kaaba Shareef. It is located in the city of Mecca and is the largest mosque in the world. Muslims around the world turn toward Kaaba while performing any prayer. The current structure covers an area of 356,800 square meters   including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to 4 millions worshipers during the Hajj period, one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world. In 2007, the Masjid went under a extension project which is estimated to last until 2020. King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz plans to increase the Masjid's capacity to 2 million .

3. Qol Sharif Mosque of Kazan Kremlin, Russia:

The Qolşärif Mosque, also spelled Qol Sharif, located in Kazan Kremlin, was reputed to be at the time of its construction the largest mosque in Russia, and in Europe outside of Istanbul. Originally, the mosque was built in the Kazan Kremlin in the 16th century. It was named after Qolşärif, who served there. Qolşärif died with his numerous students while defending Kazan from Russian forces in 1552. It is believed that the building featured minarets, both in the form of cupolas and tents. Its design was traditional for Volga Bulgaria, although elements of early Renaissance and Ottoman architecture could have been used as well.

 

4. James Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque of Brunei:

James Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque is a magnificent mosque located in Brunei. Locally known as the Kiarong Mosque and considered as one of the grandest monuments to Islam in the whole region, Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque is the brainchild of His Majesty the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah and Yang Dipertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam. Tt was built to commemorate the 25th anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the throne. The Mosque was officially opened on a Thursday, 14 July 1994. The fine artistry of the structure’s basic design as well as the interiors shows the meticulous attention to details and reveals the depth of the love that inspired the vision to build this splendid symbol of devotion to Islam. The stunning edifice with its artfully landscaped gardens and fountains that add to the serene ambience, is a memorable place to visit and certainly a must for visitors.

5. The Al-Fateh Mosque (Behrain):

The Al-Fateh Mosque (also known as Al-Fateh Islamic Center & Al Fateh Grand Mosque) (Arabic: مسجد الفاتح‎; transliterated: Masjid al-Fatih) is one of the largest mosques in the world, encompassing 6,500 square meters and having the capacity to accommodate over 7,000 worshippers at a time. The mosque is the largest place of worship in Bahrain. It is located next to the King Faisal Highway in Juffair, which is a town located in the capital city of Manama. The huge dome built on top of the Al-Fatih Mosque is constructed entirely of fiberglass. Weighing over 60 t (60,000 kg), the dome is currently the world's largest fiberglass dome. The marble used in the floors is Italian and the chandelier is from Austria. The doors are made of teak wood from India. Throughout the mosque are calligraphy writings in a very old type of style called Kufic. The mosque was built by the late Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa in 1987 and was named after Ahmed Al Fateh, the conqueror of Bahrain. In 2006, Al-Fateh became the site of the National Library of Bahrain.

 

6. The Great Mosque of Djenné – Mali:

The Great Mosque of Djenné was built in 1907 and is considered by many architects to be the greatest achievement of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style, with definite Islamic influences. It is also the largest mud brick building in the world. The walls of the Great Mosque are made of sun-baked mud bricks called ferey, a mud based mortar, and are coated with a mud plaster which gives the building its smooth, sculpted look. The walls are between 41 cm (16 in.) and 61 cm (24 in.) thick - the thickness varying with the wall's height. Bundles of palm branches were included in the building to reduce cracking caused by frequent drastic changes in humidity and temperature and to serve as readymade scaffolding for annual repairs. The walls insulate the building from heat during the day and by nightfall have absorbed enough heat to keep the mosque warm through the night. Gutters, made of ceramic pipes, extend from the roofline and direct water drainage from the roof away from the walls. To protect the Great Mosque from water damage, in particular flooding by the Bani river, the entire structure was constructed on a raised platform 3 meters high. A set of six stairs, each decorated with pinnacles, leads to the mosque’s entrance.

Annual repair of the mosque is almost a festival and the entire community of Djenné takes an active role in it. In the days leading up to the festival, the plaster is prepared in pits. It requires several days to cure but needs to be periodically stirred, a task usually falling to young boys who play in the mixture, thus stirring up the contents. Men climb onto the mosque's built-in scaffolding and ladders made of palm wood and smear the plaster over the face of the mosque.

Another group of men carries the plaster from the pits to the workmen on the mosque. A race is held at the beginning of the festival to see who will be the first to deliver the plaster to the mosque. Women and girls carry water to the pits before the festival and to the workmen on the mosque during it. Elderly members of the community sit in the market square watching the proceedings. Music and food is included during the festival.

The mosque used to welcome infidel but in 1996 permission was granted to French Vogue for a fashion shoot inside the building. The insensitive photographs of semi-naked women horrified the mullahs and non believers have been denied access ever since.

The historic areas of Djenné, including the Great Mosque, were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. While there are many mosques that are older than its current incarnation, the Great Mosque remains the most famous landmarks of the town and the entire nation of Mali.




7. Badshahi Masjid (Lahore-Pakistan):

The Badshahi Mosque (Urdu: بادشاہی مسجد‎) or the 'Royal Mosque' in Lahore, commissioned by the sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1671 and completed in 1673, is the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world. Epitomizing the beauty, passion and grandeur of the Mughal era, it is Lahore's most famous landmark and a major tourist attraction. Capable of accommodating 5,000 worshippers in its main prayer hall and a further 95,000 in its courtyard and porticoes, it remained the largest mosque in the world from 1673 to 1986 (a period of 313 years), when overtaken in size by the completion of the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. Today, it remains the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world after the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca, the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina, the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca and the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. To appreciate its large size, the four minarets of the Badshahi Mosque are 13.9 ft (4.2 m) taller than those of the Taj Mahal and the main platform of the Taj Mahal can fit inside the 278,784 sq ft (25,899.9 m2) courtyard of the Badshahi Mosque, which is the largest mosque courtyard in the world. In 1993, the Government of Pakistan recommended the inclusion of the Badshahi Mosque as a World Heritage Site in UNESCO's World Heritage List, where it has been included in Pakistan's Tentative List for possible nomination to the World Heritage List by UNESCO. Construction of the Badshahi Mosque was ordered in May 1671 by the sixth Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. Construction took about two years and was completed in April 1673. The Badshahi Mosque was built opposite the Lahore Fort, emphasising its stature in the Mughal Empire. It was constructed on a raised platform to avoid inundation from the nearby Ravi River during flooding. The mosque's foundation and structure was constructed using bricks and compacted clay. The structure was then clad with red sandstone tiles brought from a stone quarry near Jaipur in Rajasthan and its domes were clad with white marble. The construction work was carried out under the supervision of Aurangzeb's foster brother, Muzaffar Hussain (also known as Fidai Khan Koka), who was appointed Governor of Lahore by Aurangzeb in May 1671 to specifically oversee the construction of the mosque and held that post until 1675. He was also Master of Ordnance to Aurangzeb. In conjunction with the building of the Badshahi Mosque, a new gate was built at the Lahore Fort opening into the Hazuri Bagh and facing the main entrance of the Badshahi Mosque, which was named Alamgiri Gate after Aurangzeb.

 

8. The Kol Sharif Mosque (Russia):

The Kol Sharif, located in Kazan Kremlin, was reputed to be at the time of its construction the largest mosque in Russia, and in Europe outside of Istanbul. Originally, the mosque was built in the Kazan Kremlin in the 16th century. It was named after Qols harif who served there. Qol sharif died with his numerous students while defending Kazan from Russian forces in 1552. It is believed that the building featured minarets, both in the form of cupolas and tents. Its design was traditional for Volga Bulgaria, although elements of early Renaissance and Ottoman architecture could have been used as well. In 1552, during the storming of Kazan it was destroyed by Ivan the Terrible. Since 1996 the mosque has been rebuilt in Kazan Kremlin, although its look is decisively modern. Its inauguration on July 24, 2005 marked the beginning of celebrations dedicated to the Millennium of Kazan. It can accommodate 6,000 worshipers. Several countries contributed to the fund that was set up to build Qol sharif mosque, namely Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. Qol sharif is considered to be one of the most important symbols of Tatar aspirations.

 

9. Federal Territory Mosque , Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia:

Federal Territory Mosque is situated near Federal Territory Government Complex in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. The blue dome mosque can accommodate up to 17,000 worshipers at any one time. Getting there wasn't that easy since there are no public buses passing along this five hectare site during weekends. it has been patterned of that world renowned Blue Mosque of Turkey. This mosque is built by so many inspirations with astounding mixed of Turkish, Persian and Malaysian architecture.

 

10. Pavlodar Mosque – Kazakhstan:

One of the main sights of Pavlodar is the architectural complex of the Main Mosque with 1500 seats and madrasah that is situated in the park with the 6 hectare area. It has basic entries from Kutuzov, Krivenko, Kairbaev streets.

Built in the city centre, the mosque has two prayer halls that can accommodate 1,200 men and 300 women respectively. It is adorned with an 8-axis star, a dome and 4 minarets. In addition to its religious facilities, it houses a school, wedding hall, Islamic culture museum, library, cinema, dining room, and various other rooms. Monolithic iron concrete, brick, metal, alucobond, and aluminum were the primary building materials. The mosque has brought a new wave of spiritual and culture life back into the city and its architecture has influenced many other urban designs.