December 3, 2023

1. The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco

The Hassan II Mosque is a flamboyant structure that was constructed at a tremendous cost to celebrate the former king’s 60th birthday. 

With a 210-meter-tall minaret that is the city’s most prominent landmark, it is perched on an outcrop that looks out over the ocean. 

It is a display of the best craftsmanship in Morocco,Hand-carved wood and stone, intricate marble inlay and flooring, gilded cedar ceilings, and exquisite zellij (colorful ceramic tiling) are just a few of the many features. 

Outside of prayer times, visitors in modest clothing can take guided tours of the interior that are multilingual.

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The mosque can hold 25,000 worshippers and is commonly regarded as the third-largest mosque in the world, after those in Mecca and Medina. Built and partially funded by King Hassan II.

 The remaining funds were obtained through a public subscription process that was somewhat contentious.

 The mosque complex, which took six years to construct and was completed in 1993, was designed by French architect Michel Pinseau.

 The Quran’s verse that says God’s throne was built on water echoes its dramatic location overhanging the ocean waves. 

Believers pray on a floor that is heated centrally, and they can feel the sunlight through the retractable roof and see the Atlantic breaking over the rocks beneath the glass floor in the basement.

2.The Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia

The Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia is the oldest mosque in Africa. Built in 670, it is an example of mixed pre-Islamic, Roman, and Byzantine architectural styles. 

The heart of the city’s history is the Great Mosque, also known as the Uqba Mosque.

 It is regarded as the fourth holiest site in Islam, after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem, and is located in the middle of the country between the mountains and the sea at the intersection of 15 distinct roads.

The mosque itself occupies 10,800 square meters (115,660 square feet) and is part of a vast complex. 

The mihrab, a special niche indicating the direction of Mecca made of marble panels and luster tiles covered in floral patterns, is finely decorated inside. 

The prayer room has 17 naves supported by carved columns. In addition, there is a pool that is known as the “Old Cistern” (Al-Majal al-Qadim) and what is said to be the oldest minbar that still exists, which is a finely carved Asian teak pulpit. 

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A flagstone courtyard with decorative elements and a three-story minaret that looks like a Roman lighthouse can be found outside.

 It remains one of the city’s tallest structures at 32 meters (104 feet). Pre-Islamic and Eastern Islamic art, as well as later Roman and Byzantine influences, are all reflected in the mosque’s architecture.

 Numerous other mosques in the Maghreb have taken the design as a model.

3. The Great Mosque of Touba in Senegal

The Great Mosque of Touba in Senegal is a magnificent mosque that was built in 1887 and was finished in 1963 by Amadou Bamba.

 In the mosque, Bamba is buried after his death in 1927. His family has been in charge of the mosque ever since he passed away.

 With a capacity of 7,000 people, it is the city’s largest structure and one of the largest mosques in Africa.  The Grand Magal of Touba is the destination of a pilgrimage.

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There are three large domes and five minarets in the mosque. The central minaret is called Lamp Fall, a reference to Sheikh Ibrahima Fall, one of Bamba’s most influential disciples.

 It is 87 meters (285 feet) tall. The tombs of Amadou Bamba’s sons, the Mouride order’s caliphs, are located in close proximity to the mosque.

 A library, the official audience hall of the Caliph, a sacred “Well of Mercy,” and a cemetery are among the holy city’s other significant institutions.

4. Nizamiye Mosque, Midrand, South Africa

The Nizamiye Masjid, more commonly referred to as the Nizamiye Mosque, is a mosque in the Johannesburg, South Africa, city of Midrand.

 Nizamiye Masjid, which was built by a Turkish philanthropist and finished in 2012, is modeled after the Ottoman Selimiye Camii mosque in Edirne, Turkey, which dates back to the 16th century. 

The mosque’s ceramics, marble, carpets, and stained glass were all imported from Turkey, and the intricate interior details were hand-painted.

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21 domes decorate the mosque. The 32-meter-tall main dome is surrounded by four impressive minarets. 

The building is adorned with more than 200 stained glass windows. Over 3,000 people can be accommodated in the magnificent prayer hall. 

In addition to the prayer hall, the main building also has meeting rooms, a tranquil courtyard, and a small exhibit about Ottoman architecture that can be seen. 

Before entering the prayer hall, all visitors are requested to remove their shoes. Shawls for women will be provided. 

A school, a clinic, a Turkish supermarket, a bakery, a barbershop, a bookshop, a carpet and ceramics store, and a Turkish restaurant are all located within the Nizamiye complex.

 If you have time, stay for lunch or dinner at the Ottoman Palace restaurant, where you can enjoy delicious Turkish treats and tea.

5.The Great Mosque of Djenne, Mali

The Great Mosque of Djenne is the largest mud-brick structure in the world.

 Many architects consider it to be the greatest achievement of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style which does have definite Islamic influences but it is still the largest building in the world.

On the Bani River’s floodplain, in the Mali city of Djenné, is where you’ll find the Great Mosque. 

The current structure was constructed in 1907, despite the fact that the first mosque on the site was constructed in the 13th century. It is not only the hub of the Djenné community, but it is also one of Africa’s most well-known mosques.

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 In 1988, UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site along with the entire city of Djenné.

6.The Abuja National Mosque, Abuja.

Nigeria The Abuja National Mosque, also referred to as the Nigerian National Mosque, is Nigeria’s national mosque. 

Nigeria is a nation with a significant Muslim population. Non-Muslims are welcome at this Nigerian national mosque, which was built in 1984 and is open only during prayer. 

Chief Imam Ustadz Musa Mohammed heads this well-known mosque on Independence Avenue in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

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 It has a library and a conference center with a capacity for 500 people, the office of the Islamic Centre, and housing for the imam and muezzin. Many people consider it to be Nigeria’s most beautiful mosque.

7. The Uganda National Mosque

The Uganda National Mosque is a well-known mosque in the Old Kampala neighborhood of Kampala, Uganda. It was finished in 2006, and it can hold up to 15,000 worshippers, 1,100 more in the gallery, and 3,500 more on the terrace. 

The mosque was built by Libyan Colonel Muammar Gaddafi as a gift to Uganda and for the Muslim population’s benefit.

 This mosque is one of many skyscraper mosques in Uganda. The finished mosque, which housed the offices of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, was officially opened in June 2007 under the name Gaddafi National Mosque. 

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Following Colonel Gaddafi’s death in 2013, it was given the new name “Uganda National Mosque” because the new Libyan government was “reluctant to rehabilitate the mosque under the old name.”

8. Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo

Al-Azhar is an Egyptian mosque in Islamic Cairo, Egypt. Its name means “mosque of the most resplendent.” 

In 970, the Fatimid Caliph Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah commissioned its construction for the newly established capital city. It is generally believed that the name refers to the Islamic prophet. This Mosques has a structure nealy similar with one  of the 

 Fatimah, Muhammad’s daughter, is regarded as an important figure in Islam and is referred to as az-Zahr, which means “the shining or resplendent one.”

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 The city of Cairo, which has since earned the moniker “the City of a Thousand Minarets,” was home to its very first mosque. 

After its dedication in 972 and the hiring of 35 scholars by mosque authorities in 989. The world’s second-oldest continuously operated university grew slowly from this famous mosque.

 Sunni theology and sharia, or Islamic law, have long been regarded as the most important fields of study at Al-Azhar University.

9.The Great Mosque of Tlemcen, Algeria

In 1082, the Great Mosque of Tlemcen was constructed for the first time in Tlemcen, Algeria.

 It is one of the best-preserved examples of architecture from the Almoravid dynasty. It was constructed by Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin, but his son Ali ibn Yusuf substantially rebuilt and expanded it.

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 This reconstruction is dated 1136, according to an inscription. In the 13th century, the Abdalwadid dynasty of Tlemcen’s founder, Sultan Yaghmoracen (1236-1283), added a minaret and dome to a section.

 A well-known Islamic university and Islamic court once stood in close proximity to the mosque.

10.Soofie Mosque, Ladysmith, South Africa

The elegant Soofie Mosque was constructed in 1969 and is regarded as one of the country’s finest.

 It is visually appealing and is sought after by photographers due to its fine filigree stonework, scalloped archways, proud turrets, and distinctive minarets, architectural features of Islamic mosques that look like tall spires.

Locally known as the Soofie Masjid (mosque), this country’s most well-known mosque was built in 1895 when Hadrat (also spelled Hazrath) Soofie Saheb, regarded as a significant Muslim mystic, arrived in South Africa. 

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Within 15 years, he set out to construct as many as 12 mosques along Durban’s eastern inland seaboard.

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