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The oldest mosques in the world can refer to the oldest, surviving building or to the oldest mosque congregation. There is also a distinction between old mosque buildings in continuous use as mosques and others no longer used as mosques. In terms of congregations, there are early established congregations that have been in continuous existence, and early congregations that ceased to exist.
The major regions, such as Africa and Eurasia, are sorted alphabetically, and the minor regions, such as Arabia and South Asia, are sorted by the dates in which their first mosques were reportedly established, more or less, barring those that are mentioned by name in the Quran.
To be listed here a site must:
The following are treated as the oldest mosques or sanctuaries [1] mentioned in the Quran: [2]
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al-Haram Mosque | Mecca | Saudi Arabia | Unknown, considered the oldest mosque, associated with Abraham [1] | Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, Quran 2:144–217; [3] Quran 5:2; [4] Quran 8:34; [5] Quran 9:7–28; [6] Quran 17:1; [2] Quran 22:25; [7] Quran 48:25–27. [8] the holiest sanctuary, containing the Ka'bah, a site of the Ḥajj (' Pilgrimage'), the Qiblah [9] (Direction of formal prayers of Muslims), and the first mosque [10] [11] in Islamic thought. [12] [13] Rebuilt many times, notably 1571 by the Ottomans, and the late 20th century by the Saudis, further enlargement under way since 2010. | |
Haram al-Sharif, also known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound | Jerusalem (old city) | Palestine | Considered the second oldest mosque in Islamic tradition,
[14] associated with Abraham.
[1]
The Dome of the Rock was constructed in 692, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in 705. |
Al-Masjid al-Aqṣá,
[2] the former Qiblah,
[15] site of the significant event of
Night Journey (
Isra and Mi'raj)
[16], considered the third
holiest site in Islam. The Qur'an does not specify the precise location of "the furthest place of prayer", and its meaning was debated by early Islamic scholars.
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20] Eventually, a consensus emerged its identification with the
Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
[19]
[21]
The term Al-Aqsa properly refers to the whole Temple Mount compound (seen as a single mosque). [note 1] The mosque compound should not be confused with the silver-domed congregational mosque or prayer hall facing Mecca, commonly referred to in English as Al-Aqsa Mosque, and also known as Al-Qibli Mosque (see below). | |
The Sacred Monument | Muzdalifah | Saudi Arabia | Unknown | Al-Mashʿar Al-Ḥarām [23] a site of the Hajj. [24] [25] [26] [27] | |
Quba Mosque | Medina | Saudi Arabia | 622 | The first mosque built by Muhammad in the 7th century CE, possibly mentioned as the "Mosque founded on piety since the first day" [28] in the Quran.[ citation needed] Largely rebuilt in the late 20th century. |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mosque of the Companions | Massawa | Eritrea | 620s–630s [29] | Believed by some to be the first mosque in Africa and built by the companions of Muhammad in the 7th century. [29] | ||
Mosque of Amr ibn al-As | Cairo | Egypt | 641 | Named after 'Amr ibn al-'As, commander of the Muslim conquest of Egypt. First mosque in Egypt and claimed by some to be the first mosque in Africa. [30] [31] [32] [33] | ||
Mosque of Ibn Tulun | Cairo | Egypt | 879 | |||
Al-Azhar Mosque | Cairo | Egypt | 972 | Sunni | ||
Arba'a Rukun Mosque | Mogadishu | Somalia | 1268/9 | Sunni |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Great Mosque of Kairouan | Kairouan | Tunisia | 670 | Sunni | Believed to be the first mosque in the Maghreb. The current mosque dates from a total reconstruction starting in 836 under the Aghlabids, with further restorations and additions in later periods. [34] | |
Sidi Okba Mosque | Sidi Okba | Algeria | 686–1025 | Mosque and tomb dated between 686 and 1025, starting with the tomb in 686. The mosque was subsequently built around it. [35] | ||
Al-Zaytuna Mosque | Tunis | Tunisia | 698 | Sunni | There are some doubts about the exact foundation date: usually attributed to 698 but it could have been a bit later in 734. [36] [37] The current mosque dates from a total reconstruction in 864 under the Aghlabids, [38] with further modifications and renovations in later eras. [36] | |
Bu Ftata Mosque | Sousse | Tunisia | 838–841 | Dated by an inscription to the reign of Abu Iqal al-Aghlab ibn Ibrahim (838–841). Minaret added later under the Hafsids. [39] | ||
Great Mosque of Sfax | Sfax | Tunisia | 849 | Exact construction date uncertain, but probably around 849. [40] | ||
Great Mosque of Sousse | Sousse | Tunisia | 851 [41] | |||
Al-Qarawiyyin mosque | Fez | Morocco | 859 | Some doubts exist about the story of its foundation in 859. [42] A possible alternative date is 877, based on an inscription discovered in the 20th century. [43] [44] The present building dates from multiple later expansions and reconstructions, with the oldest elements dating to the 10th century. [42] It underwent its most important expansion under the Almoravids between 1135 and 1143. [45] | ||
Mosque of the Andalusians | Fez | Morocco | 859 | Like the Qarawiyyin Mosque, there are doubts about the story of its foundation. The oldest parts of the present building date from the 10th century. [42] It was mostly reconstructed by the Almohads between 1203 and 1207. [46] | ||
Al-Naqah Mosque | Tripoli | Libya | 973 | Oldest Islamic monument in Tripoli, [47] though its history is not well-known. [48] Likely built by the Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz in 973, though it may be older. [47] An inscription records that it was reconstructed in 1610–1611 (1019 AH). [48] | ||
Great Mosque of Tlemcen | Tlemcen | Algeria | 1082 | Founded in 1082 under the Almoravids, decoration completed or redone in 1136 by another Almoravid ruler. Important renovation and additions took place in 1236 under the first Zayyanid ruler. [49] | ||
Ksar Mosque | Tunis | Tunisia | 1106 | |||
Kutubiyya Mosque | Marrakesh | Morocco | 1147 |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shanga Mosque | Shanga, Pate Island | Kenya | Foundation discovered, with coins attesting dates, during the 1980s excavations. The earliest concrete evidence of Muslims in East Africa. [50]: 97 | |||
Great Mosque of Kilwa | Kilwa Kisiwani | Tanzania | 1000–1100 | |||
Kizimkazi Mosque | Dimbani | Tanzania | 1107 (according to an inscription) [51] | |||
Tsingoni Mosque | Tsingoni, Mayotte | France | 1538 [52] | |||
Al-Fatah Mosque (Green Mosque) | Kigali | Rwanda (then German East Africa) | 1913 [53] | Founded by coastal Swahili-speaking Tanzanian Muslims who came to Rwanda to work in the German administration. [53] |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Larabanga Mosque | Larabanga | Ghana | 1421 | The oldest existing mud-brick mosque in Ghana. | ||
Great Mosque of Kano | Kano | Nigeria | 15th century | Built in for Emir Muhammad Rumfa | ||
Agadez Mosque | Agadez | Niger | 1515 | Niger's oldest mosque. | ||
Grand Mosque, Sokodé | Sokodé | Togo | 1820 [54] |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Auwal Mosque | Cape Colony | South Africa (then Cape Colony) | 1798 [55] | Recognised as the first mosque established in the country. | ||
Palm Tree Mosque | Cape Colony | South Africa (then Cape Colony) | 1807 | Building constructed in 1788 | , and established as a mosque in 1807 .||
Masjid al-Qudama | Uitenhage, Eastern Cape | South Africa | 1849 [56] | It has been deduced that the mosque was a completed building by March 1849 | ||
Grey Street Mosque (Juma Mosque) | Durban [57] | South Africa | 1881 | |||
Soofie Masjid | Butha Buthe | Lesotho | 1900 (approximate) [50]: 115 | Founded by Soofie Saheb at the turn of the century; the community is described as African Muslim yet speaking an Indian language. [50]: 115 | ||
Habibia Soofie Saheb Jamia Masjid | Rylands, Cape Town | South Africa | 1905 | |||
Lobatse Masjid | Lobatse | Botswana | 1960s [58] | Founded by Indian Muslims who were brought over during the British colonial period. | ||
Ezulwini Mosque | Ezulwini, near Mbabane | Eswatini | 1982 [59] |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Suriname (then a colony of the Netherlands) | 1906 [60] | Built by immigrant Javanese rice farmers. [60] | |||||
Mesquita Brasil ( São Paulo), | São Paulo | Brazil | 1929 [61] | Previous site built in 1929; [61] current building inaugurated in 1952. First known mosque in Brazil. [62] | |||
Panama | 1930 [63] | Ahmadiyya [63] | |||||
El Paraíso, Caracas | Venezuela | 1968 [64] | |||||
At-Tauhid Mosque | Buenos Aires | Argentina | 1983 [65] | Shi'ite | Opened in October 1983 by the Shi'ite community of Buenos Aires and with the support of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Argentina. It is a very simple building with a subtle Islamic style in its facade. [66] | ||
Mezquita as-Salam | Santiago | Chile | 1995 [67] | Commissioned 1989, inaugurated in 1995. | |||
Mohammed VI Mosque | Coquimbo | Chile | 2007 |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al-Sadiq Mosque | Chicago, Illinois | United States | 1922 | Ahmadiyya | Oldest extant mosque in the Americas. | |
Mother Mosque of America (Moslem Temple) |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa | United States | 1934 | Oldest extant purpose-built mosque in the United States | ||
Al-Rashid Mosque | Edmonton, Alberta | Canada | 1938 | First purpose-built mosque in Canada. | ||
Westmoreland and Spanish Town | Jamaica | 1950s [68] | Constructed by the Islamic Society of Jamaica, which was founded in 1950. | |||
Bridgetown Mosque | Bridgetown | Barbados | 1957 [69] | First purpose-built mosque in Barbados. | ||
Omar bin Al-Khattab Mosque | Willemstad, Curaçao | Netherlands | 1965 [70] | |||
Haiti | 1985 [71] | Converted private residence. | ||||
Suraya Mosque | Torreón | Mexico | 1989 | Shi'ite | Built by the immigrants from the Middle East living in Torreón. | |
Omar Mosque | San José | Costa Rica | 1995 [72] | Sunni | Founded by the Islamic Cultural Association of Costa Rica. | |
Belize City [73] | Belize | 2008 (approximate) [74] | Founded by Belizeans who converted to Islam while in the United States. [74] | |||
Boukman Buhara Mosque | Cap-Haïtien | Haiti | 2016 [75] | First purpose-built mosque in Haiti. Includes a minaret. Constructed by the Diyanet Foundation of Turkey following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. [75] |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al-Masjid al-Nabawi | Medina | Saudi Arabia | 622 | Second holiest site in Islam (after Al-Haram Mosque) and Muhammad's mosque, which houses his tomb in what was initially his and his wife Aisha's house. Largely rebuilt and greatly enlarged in the late 20th century, whilst retaining at its heart the earlier construction of the Ottomans, and landmark green dome atop the prophet's mausoleum. | ||
Masjid al-Qiblatain | Medina | Saudi Arabia | 623 | Mosque originally with two Qiblah walls: One facing Jerusalem, the first Qiblah and another facing Mecca | ||
Jawatha Mosque | Al-Kilabiyah | Saudi Arabia | 629/639 [76] [77] | Has recently been renovated[ citation needed] and prayers are still held in this mosque. [78] | ||
Great Mosque of Sana'a | Sana'a | Yemen | 7th century | Possibly the oldest mosque in the country. | ||
Mazin Mosque | Samail | Oman | 7th century [79][ better source needed] | Founded by Mazin Ben Ghadooba, who is considered to be the first Omani to adopt Islam during Muhammad's lifetime. [79][ better source needed] | ||
Al-Shawadhna Mosque | Nizwa | Oman | 628–629 (possibly) [80] | Original foundation attributed by some to 7 AH (628–629 CE). [80] A construction or renovation dated to 1529 CE is recorded by an inscription above the mihrab. [80] [81] | ||
Al-Hadi Mosque | Sa'dah | Yemen | 897 | |||
Khamis Mosque | Khamis, Manama | Bahrain | 1000–1200 (approximate) [82] | Though most of the structure is dated to the 11th or 12th century, it is popularly believed to have been founded by the Caliph Omar in the 600s. [83] | ||
Mosque in Al-Ain | Al Ain | United Arab Emirates | 1000s ( Islamic Golden Age) | Possible the oldest mosque in the country. [84] [85] | ||
Al Badiyah Mosque | Fujairah | United Arab Emirates | 1400s [86] | Some much earlier estimates have been proposed. |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Huaisheng Mosque | Guangzhou | China | 627 | The Huaisheng Mosque is the main mosque of Guangzhou. It has been rebuilt many times over its history. According to tradition it was originally built over 1,300 years ago in 627 CE by Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, who was an uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and was named in memory of Muhammad. | ||
Xianxian Mosque | Guangzhou City | China | 629 | The mosque was originally built in 629 during the Tang dynasty. | ||
Great Mosque of Xi'an | Xi'an, Shaanxi | China | 742 [87] | Although the oldest stones date from the 18th century, [88] the mosque was founded in 742 [89] Built in 742, but oldest mosque in China is the Beacon Tower mosque of Guangzhou being built in 627. [90] | ||
Jamia Mosque | Hong Kong (then British Hong Kong) | China | 1890 | |||
Taipei Grand Mosque | Taipei | Taiwan | 1947 | Oldest and most famous mosque in Taiwan. Original building was firstly used in 1947, then relocated to a new site where it was reconstructed in 1960. | ||
Kaohsiung Mosque | Taipei | Taiwan | 1949 | The second oldest mosque in Taiwan. The original building was built in 1949, then moved to a new location where the second building was built in 1951, and the third and final building built in 1992. | ||
Macau Mosque | Macau (then Portuguese Macau) | China | 1980 | The first and only mosque in Macau. |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kobe Mosque | Kobe | Japan | 1935 [91] | Designed in the Turkish style by a Czech architect, confiscated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1943, and later returned. | ||
Seoul Central Mosque | Seoul | South Korea | 1976 [92] |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barwada mosque |
Ghogha, Gujarat | India | Before 623 | Built by Arab traders at ancient port of Ghogha, Bhavnagar district in the state of Gujarat. The qibla (direction to be faced while offering namaaz) of the mosque is faced to Bait al Mukaddas (Jerusalem). The mosque is abandoned by devotees after the qibla was changed to Makkah in AD 623 and another mosque constructed at the same time. [93] [94] [95] [96] [97] | ||
Cheraman Juma Masjid | Kodungallur | India | 629 | Built by Malik bin Dinar, companion of Muhammad, on orders of Cheraman Perumal, [98] then King of modern-day Kerala, it is the oldest mosque in the Indian subcontinent. [99] | ||
Palaiya Jumma Palli | Kilakarai | India | 630 | Sunni | Considered to be the first mosque to be built in Tamil Nadu, and the second mosque in India. Constructed by Yemeni merchants and trade settlers in the Pandiya Kingdom and ordered by Bazan ibn Sasan, Governor of Yemen at the time of Muhammad. [100] | |
Masjid Al-Abrar | Beruwala, Kalutara District, Western Province | Sri Lanka | First century in the Hijri calendar | The date has been carved in its stone pillars. It is situated in western province of Sri Lanka. | ||
Haji Piyada | Balkh | Afghanistan | 794 or 9th century | The oldest identifiable Islamic building in Afghanistan. [101] Construction dated to either the 9th century [102] or to 794. [103] | ||
Jamia Masjid, Banbhore | Banbhore, Sindh | Pakistan | 727 | This is the oldest mosque of Pakistan which is located in Bhambore. [104] Also believed to be the first mosque in South Asia. [105] Built after the conquest of Sindh. | ||
Kazimar Big Mosque | Madurai | India | 1284 | Sunni, Hanafi, Shadhili | First mosque in Madurai. | |
Chaqchan Mosque | Khaplu, Gilgit Baltistan | Pakistan | 1370 | This is the oldest mosque of Gilgit Baltistan located in Khaplu. [106] [107] | ||
Sixty Dome Mosque | Bagerhat | Bangladesh | 1450 | Built by Khan Jahan Ali, it is considered to be the second-oldest mosque in Bangladesh. The fortified structure contains eighty-one domes, sixty stone pillars and eleven mihrabs. | ||
Neevin Mosque | Lahore | Pakistan | 1460 |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque | Tubig Indangan, Simunul island, Bangsamoro | Philippines | 1380 [108] | Founded by Makhdum Karim, who introduced Islam to the Philippines. This is the oldest mosque in Southesast Asia. | ||
Wapauwe Old Mosque | Kaitetu, Central Maluku Regency, Maluku | Indonesia | 1414 | The oldest surviving mosque in Indonesia. | ||
Ampel Mosque | Ampel, Surabaya, East Java | Indonesia | 1421 [109] | The oldest surviving mosque in Java, and second oldest in Indonesia. | ||
Masjid Sultan Sharif Ali | Brunei | Brunei | 1430 (approximate) [110] | Built under the direction of Sharif Ali ("Sultan Berkat"), who reigned 1425–1432. | ||
Great Mosque of Demak | Demak, Central Java | Indonesia | 15th century [111] | Oldest mosque in Central Java and second oldest in Java. [111] | ||
300 Years Mosque | Narathiwat | Thailand | 17th century | It is at least one of the oldest known mosques in Thailand. [112] | ||
Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka | Central Area | Singapore | 1820 [113] | Originally a wooden structure built by Arab merchant Syed Omar Ali Aljunied. |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al-Omari Grand Mosque | Beirut | Lebanon | 635 | Sunni | The mihrab is the oldest part of the mosque, dating back to the Caliphate of Umar. | |
Al-Qibli Mosque (al-Jami' al-Aqsa) | Jerusalem (old city) | Palestine | 637 | A Muslim prayer hall with a silver-colored lead dome located in the southern part of Al-Aqsa (Temple Mount), built by the Rashidun caliph Umar ibn Al-Khattab. | ||
Al-Shuaibiyah Mosque | Aleppo | Syria | 637 | |||
Ibrahimi Mosque | Hebron | Palestine | 637 [114] | |||
Great Mosque of Aleppo | Aleppo | Syria | 715 | |||
Umayyad Mosque | Damascus | Syria | 715 | Sunni | Fourth holiest site and the national mosque of Syria. It was originally built after the Muslim conquest of the city in 634. The current structure dates to 715. | |
White Mosque | Ramla | Israel | 720 | |||
Al-Omari Mosque | Bosra | Syria | 721 | |||
Great Mosque of Raqqa | Raqqa | Syria | 772 | |||
Arab Ahmet Mosque | Arab Ahmet quarter of Nicosia | Cyprus | Late 16th century [115] | The mosque is named after a commander of the 1571 Ottoman army who made an expedition in 1571. [115] [116] |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ayasofya Mosque ( Hagia Sophia) | Istanbul | Turkey | 1453 (537) | Built in 537 as a Greek Orthodox cathedral, converted to a mosque in 1453, and then a museum in 1931. [117] In 2020, it was again converted into a mosque by order of a Turkish court. | ||
Great Mosque of Kufa | Kufa | Iraq | 639 | Shia | The mosque, built in the 7th century, contains the remains of Muslim ibn Aqeel – first cousin of Husayn ibn Ali, his companion Hani ibn Urwa, and the revolutionary Mukhtar al-Thaqafi. | |
Maqam al-Imam al-Husayn Mosque | Karbala | Iraq | 680 | Shia | Reconstructed several times, including in 1016. | |
Jameh Mosque of Ferdows | Ferdows | Iran | 7th century (possibly) | |||
Al-Hisn Mosque | Mopsuestia, Adana Province | Turkey | 717-720 | Built by the Umayyad caliph Umar II, as part of his conversion of the city into a military base to shield Antioch from a potential Greek attack. The building fell into ruin during the reign of Al-Mu'tasim, approximately 120 years later. | ||
Jameh Mosque of Isfahan | Isfahan | Iran | 771 | |||
Jameh Mosque of Fahraj | Fahraj | Iran | 700s [118] | |||
Tarikhaneh Mosque | Damghan | Iran | 8th century | |||
Great Mosque of Samarra | Samarra | Iraq | 848 | |||
Al-Askari Mosque | Samarra | Iraq | 944 | Shia (Twelver) | Shrine of the 10th and 11th Twelver Shi'ite Imams: Ali al-Hadi and Hasan al-Askari. | |
Imam Ali Mosque | Najaf | Iraq | 977 | Shia, Sunni | Houses the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad's cousin and fourth Caliph, and the first person of the Shia Imamate. | |
Great Mosque of Diyarbakır | Diyarbakır | Turkey | 1092 | Sunni | One of the oldest known mosques in modern Turkey. | |
Yivliminare Mosque (Alaeddin Mosque) | Antalya | Turkey | 1230 | |||
Aslanhane Mosque | Ankara | Turkey | 1290 |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Po-i-Kalyan | Bukhara | Uzbekistan | 713 | Since 713 here, several edifices of main cathedral mosque were built then razed, restored after fires and wars, and moved from place to place. |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Juma Mosque | Shamakhi | Azerbaijan | 743-744 | Built in 743–744, set on fire by Armenian units of "Dashnaktsutiun" in 1918, reconstructed in 2009. | ||
Blue Mosque | Yerevan | Armenia | Mid-18th century |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Great Mosque of Cordoba (Mezquita) | Córdoba, Andalusia | Spain (then the Emirate of Córdoba) | 785 [119] | Originally built by Abd al-Rahman I in 785, it underwent successive extensions in the 9th and 10th centuries. After the Castilian conquest of Cordoba in 1236, it was converted into the city's cathedral, which it remains to this day. [120] | ||
Mosque inside Aljafería Palace | Zaragoza, Aragon | Spain (then the Caliphate of Córdoba) | 1046 [121] | A small prayer room inside the Aljafería Palace, dating from the Taifa period under the Hudid dynasty. It is accessed through a portal inside palace. [122] In 2001, the original restored structures of the Aljafería were included in the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon, a World Heritage Site. [123] | ||
Mosque of Madinat al-Zahra | Córdoba, Andalusia | Spain (then the Caliphate of Córdoba) | 941–942 [124] | Friday mosque of Madinat al-Zahra, a vast, fortified palace-city begun in 936 by Abd al-Rahman III. [125] The city's mosque was inaugurated in 941–942. [124] [126] The complex was plundered & destroyed during the civil war that ended the Caliphate of Córdoba in the early 11th century. [125] A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2018. [127] | ||
Mosque of Cristo de la Luz | Toledo, Castile-La Mancha | Spain (then the Caliphate of Córdoba) | 999 [128] | Built in 999 in Toledo, this building is a rarity in that it is in much the same state as it was when it was originally built. [129] Originally a square structure with nine domed bays, a semi-circular apse was added in 1187, after it had been converted into a church. [130] | ||
Mosque of las Tornerías | Toledo, Castile-La Mancha | Spain (then the Taifa of Toledo) | mid-11th-century (completed) [131] | Arabic: الـمـسـتـمـيـم, romanized: al-Mustimim was built in the middle of the 11th century [132] on the foundations of Roman architecture, located in the old Muslim neighborhood Arrabal de Francos. The building continued maintaining the Islamic faith in Spain well beyond the reconquista of the city by the Christian troops of Alfonso VI of León and Castile in 1085, until the period of 1498–1505, when it was desacralizated by the Catholic Monarchs. | ||
Ribat of Arrifana Archaeological site | Aljezur, Algarve | Portugal (then the Almoravid dynasty) | 1130 [133] | Probably constructed by Abu-l-Qasim Ahmad ibn al-Husayn ibn Qasi, governor of Silves and a rebel leader against the Almoravid dynasty. These are the only ruins of such Muslim fortress to have been identified in Portugal, excavated by Portuguese archaeologists since 2001. | ||
Church of Nossa Senhora da Anunciação | Mértola, Alentejo | Portugal (then the Almohad Caliphate) | Second-half of the 12th century [134] | Unique and most identifiable former mosque in Portugal, although a mixture of Almohad and Manueline post- Gothic architecture. Rebuilt in the second half of the 12th century with some elements from the 9th century. | ||
Giralda | Seville, Andalusia | Spain (then the Almohad Caliphate) | 1248 [135] | Only the minaret remains. Mosque comparable in size to Great mosque of Cordoba, mostly destroyed by earthquake in 1365. Minaret used as a church bell tower was built higher in the 16th century. | ||
Church of São Clemente | Tavira, Algarve | Portugal (then the Kingdom of Portugal) | Second-half of the 13th century [136] | Only parts of the original minaret remain, incorporated in the church bell tower. It's 22.7 metres tall and 4.2 metres wide. Across it lies an old Muslim cemetery of Jardim dos Amuados. | ||
Mosque of Tórtoles | Tarazona, Aragon | Spain (then the Crown of Aragon) | 15th-century (completed) [137] | Almost unaltered in the later centuries. | ||
San Sebastian Minaret (Alminar De San Sebastian) | Ronda, Andalusia | Spain (then the Almohad Caliphate) | Only minaret of the medium-size mosque in Plaza Abul Beka neighborhood remains. Minaret was expanded and used as a bell tower. The mosque was converted to a church but destroyed in the 1600s during Morisco Revolts. Ronda was a Muslim city for 700 years. The city had 7 or 8 mosques, none survive today. [138] |
Building | Image | Location | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Juma Mosque | Derbent, Dagestan (then part of the Abbasid Caliphate) | 700-900 (approximate) [82] |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al-Agha Mosque | Dragash | Kosovo | 1268 [139] | Built by Muslims who migrated from Aleppo, in Syria, to Kosovo. [139] | ||
Dzhumaya Mosque | Plovdiv | Bulgaria | 1363–1364 | Built during the reign of Sultan Murad II the old building was demolished and replaced by the modern-day mosque. | ||
Sailors' Mosque | Ulcinj | Montenegro | 14th century | |||
Halit Efendi Mosque | Slupčane, Lipkovo Municipality | North Macedonia | 1415 [140] | It is considered to be the oldest mosque in North Macedonia. However, as a result of the various renovation works, the building has been altered to such an extent that it is no longer in its original state. [140] | ||
Turhan Emin-Beg Mosque | Ustikolina | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1448–1449 [141] | Built by Turhan Emin-beg. Known to have been destroyed two times (1941 and 1992) and rebuilt two times (1956 and 2007). [141] | ||
Fatih Mosque, Elbasan | Elbasan Castle | Albania | 1466 [142] | Built by the orders of Sultan Mehmed II. [142] | ||
Old Mosque, Plav (Imperial Mosque) | Plav | Montenegro | 1471 [143] | Built during the Ottoman rule in the city. [143] | ||
King Mosque or Sultan Bayazit Mosque | Elbasan | Albania | 1482 | |||
Iljaz Mirahori Mosque | Korçë | Albania | 1494 [144] | It was built by Iljaz Hoxha, also known as Iljaz Bey Mirahor, [144] and is a Cultural Monument of Albania. [145] | ||
Mosque of Kuklibeu | Prizren | Kosovo | 1534 | |||
Mosque of Muderis Ali Efendi | Prizren | Kosovo | 1543–1581 | |||
Esmahan Sultan Mosque | Mangalia | Romania | 1575 | Oldest mosque in Romania | ||
Poland | 1558 (earliest attestation in writing) [146] | Tatar mosques in Poland were noted in a 1558 treatise Risale-i Tatar-i Lech. [146] | ||||
Lithuania (then the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) | 1500–1600 [147] | Various records indicate Lithuanian Tatars built mosques in the Duchy during the 16th century [147] | ||||
Mosque of Sinan Pasha | Prizren | Kosovo | 1615 | |||
Log pod Mangartom Mosque | Log pod Mangartom, Municipality of Bovec | Slovenia (then Austria-Hungary) | 1916 [148] | Built by Bosniak members of the Austro-Hungarian army. [148] | ||
Gunja Mosque | Gunja | Croatia | 1969 | The first and one of the few mosques in Croatia, located near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. | ||
Vienna Islamic Centre-Mosque | Vienna | Austria | 1979 [149] | |||
Brno Mosque | Brno | Czech Republic | 1998 [150] | Construction began 1996, inaugurated 1998. [150] |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liverpool Mosque and Muslim Institute | Liverpool, England | United Kingdom | 1891 [151] | Liverpool Muslim Institute | Several sources state that a mosque was founded in 1860 at 2 Glynrhondda Street, Cardiff, Wales. This has been rejected by an academic paper as a transcription error. [152] | |
Dublin Mosque and Islamic Centre | Dublin | Ireland | 1976 [150] | The first purpose-built mosque was built in Ballyhaunis in 1987.[ citation needed] |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Père Lachaise Ottoman Mosque | Paris (first in Metropolitan France) | France | 1856 | This mosque served for burial prayers for Ottoman diplomats, North African military personnel, and Turkish and Arab students. It fell into disrepair when France and the Ottoman Empire went to war in 1914. [153] | ||
Grand Mosque of Paris | Paris | France | 1926 | The mosque was built in the Moroccan style and honored Muslim French veterans of World War I. [154] | ||
Wünsdorf Mosque | Wünsdorf, Berlin | Germany | 1915 | Erected in 1915 by the Imperial German Army administration for Muslim Allied prisoners of war in the POW camp in Wünsdorf, later used as refugee camp. In 1930 torn down due to lack of a congregation. | ||
Mobarak Mosque | The Hague | Netherlands | 1955 | The first known purpose-built mosque in the Netherlands. | ||
Centre Islamique de Genève ("Little Mosque" of Geneva) | Geneva | Switzerland | 1961 | Founded by Said Ramadan |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Järvenpää Mosque | Finland | 1942 | A mosque of the community of Finnish Tatars. It is considered to be the oldest mosque in Nordic countries. Finland's first Muslim cemetery was established in the 1830s for Russian troops. [155] | |||
Nusrat Djahan Mosque | Hvidovre, outside Copenhagen | Denmark | 1967 [155] | Founded by the Ahmadiyya; first purpose-built mosque in a Nordic country. | ||
Islamic Cultural Centre Norway | Oslo | Norway | 1974 | Founded by Pakistani-Norwegians aided by Danish Muslims; of the Sunni Deobandi school. The first Shi'i mosque, Anjuman-e Hussain, opened in 1975; the first Sunni Barelvi mosque opened in 1976. | ||
Nasir Mosque | Gothenburg | Sweden | 1976 | |||
Stockholm | Sweden | 2000 [156] | Converted from Katarinastation, a former power station. | |||
Reykjavík Mosque | Reykjavík | Iceland | 2002 [157] | Not a purpose-built mosque, but serves as an interim gathering site. |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marree Mosque | Marree, South Australia | Australia | 1861 [158] / 1882 [67] | Small structure in the South Australian desert built by Australia's " Afghan" camel-drivers, has been restored. | ||
Central Adelaide Mosque | Adelaide | Australia | 1888 [158] | The oldest major city mosque in the country. [158] | ||
Auckland | New Zealand | 1979 (begun) [159] | Cornerstone laid in 1979; the first Islamic centre in the country was installed in an Auckland house bought in 1959. [159] |
Building | Image | Location | Country | First built | Denomination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hidayatullah Sanoek Mosque | Sanoek, South Waigeo, Raja Ampat Regency, West Papua | Indonesia | 1505 (approximate) | The oldest surviving mosque in Oceania [160] | ||
Vitogo, Nausori, and Tavua [161] | Fiji | 1922 (approximate) [161] | A number of wooden mosques were built by local Islamic assemblies around 1922. [161] | |||
Port Moresby [67] | Papua New Guinea | 2000 [162] | Islam was introduced to the island in the 1970s, [162] and the first Islamic centre established in 1988. [67] |
Al 'Aqsa is the second oldest mosque in Islam after the Kaaba in Mecca and is third in holiness after the mosques in Mecca and Medina. It holds up to 400,000 worshippers at one time.
If Muslims interpret the qur'anic phrase "the sacred place of prayer" in diverse ways, one encounters even more debate over the destination of the night journey, the "furthest place of prayer". From the earliest extant Muslim texts, it becomes clear that a group of Muslims from the beginning interpreted "furthest place of prayer" with the city of Jerusalem in general and its Herodian/Solomonic Temple in particular. It is equally clear that other early Muslims disputed this connection, identifying the "furthest place of prayer" instead as a reference to a site in the heavens. Eventually a general consensus formed around the idea that Muhammad's journey did indeed take him to Jerusalem. Even if the night journey verse were thought to refer first and foremost to the terrestrial portion of Muhammad's journey, nevertheless for centuries scholars and storytellers also continued to connect this verse with the idea of an ascent through the levels of the heavens.
Bevan has shown that among early traditionists there are many who do not accept the identification of the masjid al-aqsd, and among them are to be found such great names as al-Bukhari and Tabarl. Both Ibn Ishaq an al-Ya'qubi precede their accounts with expressions which indicate that these are stories which are not necessarily accepted as dogma. It was suggested by J. Horovitz that in the early period of Islam there is little justification for assuming that the Koranic expression in any way referred to Jerusalem. But while Horovitz thought that it referred to a place in heaven, A. Guillaume's careful analysis of the earliest texts (al-Waqidi and al-Azraqi, both in the later second century A.H.) has convincingly shown that the Koranic reference to the masjid al-aqsa applies specifically to al-Ji'ranah, near Mekkah, where there were two sanctuaries (masjid al-adnai and masjid al-aqsa), and where Muhammad so-journed in dha al-qa'dah of the eighth year after the Hijrah.
With thousands of Hajjis, most of them in motor vehicles, rushing headlong for Muzdalifah, the potential is there for one of ... There is special grace for praying at the roofless mosque in Muzdalifah called al-Mash'ar al-Haram (the Sacred Grove) ...
It was still dark when we arrived at Muzdalifah, four miles away. The Koran instructs us to spend the night at al-Mash'ar al-Haram. the Sacred Grove at Muzdalifah, as one of the conditions for the hajj . We scrambled out of the bus and looked ...
The Qur'an admonishes: "When you hurry from Arafat, remember God at the Sacred Grove (al-mash' ar al-haram)," that is, at Muzdalifah (2:198). Today a mosque marks the place in Muzdalifah where pilgrims gather to perform the special saldt ...
Muzdalifah is an open plain sheltered by parched hills with sparse growth of thorn bushes. The pilgrims spend a night under the open sky of the roofless Mosque, the Sacred Grove, Al Mush'ar al-Haram. On the morning of the tenth, all depart ...
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