9 Incredible Mosques from Around the World

I almost finished my religion minor in college and am still considering whether I should complete it. The subject is fascinating and even though I am not religious myself, the idea of sacred space and objects has always interested me. I am going to do a number of lists involving religious monuments and architecture and figured I’d start with Islam (trendy, I know). Islam came about in the 600’s AD, and is the youngest of the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam). Islam swept the globe at an astounding pace, reaching as far as China by the 900’s. This means that Mosques, Muslim holy spaces for worship, span a multitude of countries and have been constructed in a many varying cultural styles. Below are 9 of the most incredible mosques I could find. Enjoy.

9. Menara Kudus Mosque

This mosque is located in central Java and is the oldest mosque in Indonesia. The building was completed in 1549, and is the resting site of a Muslim saint; Sunan Kudus. This mosque serves as a stop for many Muslims on pilgrimage in Indonesia.

8. Wazir Khan Mosque

Located in Lahore, Pakistan, this mosque is known for its beautiful facade that is covered in tiles. It has earned the nickname the “mole on the cheek of Lahore” (not sure if that is a good thing). Construction began sometime in the 1630’s and lasted for seven years. It also serves as an important burial site. Miran Badshah, an Iranian, is said to have his tomb under the mosque.

7. King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center

This is an odd one. It is the largest mosque in South America and was built in Buenos Ares after a delegation returned from Saudi Arabia. The center is enormous and is home to not only a worship area, but a couple different schools and academies. One interesting foot note; the center can hold 1,200 men and 400 women. I’m not sure why there is such a disparity, but it seems odd that the mothers, sisters and wives of the 1,200 men have to either skip prayers or go elsewhere.

6. Shrine of the Cloak

It’s always cool to see parallels between religions, and the Shrine of the Cloak is a great example. For those of you who have heard of Jesus (long beard, white robes, usually flipping out at temples), you may be familiar with the Shroud of Turin. This is supposedly Jesus’ burial cloth and is housed in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. The Shrine of the Cloak is the Islamic counterpart to this religious phenomenon. It is located in Kandahar Afghanistan and houses part of the prophet Mohammed’s cloak. If you want to go check it out, you’re shit out of luck. The cloak does not see the public often and has been under guard by the same family for 250 years.

5. Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque

This mosque is located in Sri Lanka and was constructed in 1909. The Muslims of Sri Lanka constructed it of their own accord so they would have somewhere to conduct their daily prayers (I had enough trouble going to church, let alone building it before hand). The building is very ornate and serves as a major tourist attraction. It is said that the mosque was the only landmark discernible from sea for quite some time and was used to identify the island of Columbo.

4. Jama Masjid of Herat Mosque

This is another Afghani mosque. It is located in Herat and is a very historic site. The mosque was constructed by the Timurids and it was protected, funded and expanded by four other caliphates. The oldest sections of the mosque were destroyed in the Anglo-Afghani war. Renovations were done in 1945, but never completed. However in 2012, 50 Afghani business men vowed to restore the mosque to it’s former glory. As a history guy, I really hope they will be able to do this and stay true to the building’s original design.

3. Niujie Mosque

This is the only Chinese mosque on our list. It is the oldest in China (996 AD) and serves Beijing’s nearly 10,000 Muslims. The mosque looks very Chinese and has been enlarged a few times in it’s history. The mosque boasts numerous Chinese relics and an enormous prayer hall. Too bad no non-Muslims can see the inside of this mosque; non-believers are strictly barred from the inside prayer area.

2. Abdul Rahman Mosque

This is a fairly new mosque. It was commissioned by it’s namesake, and completed by his sons in 2009. The mosque is enormous. It can hold almost 10,000 worshipers and has an entire floor dedicated to women (good PR move). The mosque also has a massive library housing over 150,000 books. Since it is situated in a very commercial town, I hope it can avoid the damages so many of these sites have experienced the last few years.

1. Golden Mosque, Iraq

Also known as the Al Askari mosque, it was constructed in Samarra, Iraq in 944 AD. It is one of the most important Shi’ah mosques in the world (locals frequently use the phrase “to swear by the shrine”), but has seen some pretty serious hardship since the Iraq war. In 2006 the mosque’s dome was destroyed by bombs and in 2007 bombs took out one of the minarets. There are plans to restore the site, but given the state of things in the area that could take a while. –