Mosques around the world

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Masjid-e-Safina Karachi Pakistan.

Fatma Mosque in Kuwait

 

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Masjid in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan

 

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[Al Bhatti]

Al Noor Mosque in Sharjah.

In Sharjah the ruler has given instructions to build one mosque at all round about. Not in the round about, but at one of the corners of any given round about.

 

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Nuruosmaniya Jamia Masjid Grand Bazaar Istanbul

SultanAhmet Jamia masjid Istanbul Turkey

Ortakoy masjid Istanbul

The New Mosque (built 1660)

 

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11 August 2012

About Sharjah: Magnificent mosques

Towering magnificently along the Corniche and skirting the coast and inland of the emirate to as far as the eastern region of Khorfakkan, 600 mosques dot Sharjah, the capital of Islamic Culture for 2014.

Of these, 300 are in the heart of Sharjah and on its immediate outskirts. However, the most significant are the King Faisal Mosque, the largest among them; Al Noor Mosque, the most magnificent; and Al Maghfirah, which sits in the Al Seef area, on the banks of the creek.

Noor Mosque on Buhairah Corniche is famous for its architecture which resembles the ‘Blue Mosque’ in Turkey. It is bedecked with 34 elegant cascading domes in the exterior.

Sherifa Madgwick, manager of Communication and Development of the Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication, says that Al Noor Mosque that stands beside the Khalid lagoon on Buhairah Corniche is the most famous. “It is hosting mosque visits every Monday at 10am for expatriates and tourists for them to know about UAE culture and religion.”

What makes Al Noor Mosque magnificent is the architectural design, which is influenced by the classical Turkish Ottoman architecture exhibited in the exceptional Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque in Turkey.

Specifically, Al Noor Mosque is bedecked with 34 elegant cascading domes in the exteriors that always catch the eyes of visitors and faithful. “The central dome is surrounded by several half domes and finally at each corner by four small cupola domes,” Madgwick says.

On the order of Shaikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the construction of Al Noor Mosque started on April 6, 2003 and was completed after two years. It has a Ladies Section and can accommodate 2,200 people — 400 in the Ladies Section alone.

Situated on the Corniche, Al Noor Mosque is a living testimony to local residents, whose families have lived in this oldest settlement in the emirate.

Sprawling in a 12,000-square-metre area, King Faisal Mosque is the largest in the emirate.

King Faisal Mosque earns the honour of being the largest among Sharjah’s mosques and named after King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, former Ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Sprawling in a 12,000-square-metre area in the heart of Sharjah on King Faisal Road, it is near the Central Souq, Al Jubail Bus Station and the Sharjah headquarters of Dubai Islamic Bank. King Faisal accommodates 17,000 people, 12,000 of whom can sit inside. It has a Ladies Prayer Hall, which many female faithful find accessible to go. Local resident Amirah Al Tayer says that she often goes to this mosque on Eid as it is in the heart of the city. “It is very convenient for my family as we live nearby,” she says.

Built in 1984 and opened to believers by 1987, King Faisal Mosque holds lectures at night during Ramadan on Hadith, Fiqh, Aqidah and how to pray.

Maghfirah Mosque in Al Seef area was opened in 2002.

The third, Al Maghfirah Mosque, stands elegantly in the Al Seef area near Radisson Blue Hotel. Built in 1999, it opened for the general public in 2002 under the guidance of Shaikh Sultan.

This mosque accommodates 3,000 people in all, 2,000 of whom can sit inside. Said Al Thani, a resident of the Corniche area, says that he looks at this mosque like a sun among the stars of heaven. “It is God’s home, so I often perform my prayers in this mosque.”

About Sharjah: Magnificent mosques


Al Noor Mosque – Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Majaz Park mosque in Sharjah.

The mosque at the Qanat Al Qasba in Sharjah

The Badiya Mosque in Dibba, Fujairah, is the oldest place of worship in the country and is still used for prayers

 

[Al Bhatti]

The Al Noor Mosque was built by order of the wife of the ruler of Sharjah, her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed al Qassimi. The construction of the Mosque started in 2003 and was completed 2 years later in 2005.

Al Noor Mosque is the first mosque in Sharjah to open its doors to the expatriate community and visitors to Sharjah so that they may learn about the UAE National culture and religion.

Al Noor Mosque visit for non- muslims currently now open

Public visit every Monday at 10am (except public holidays)

Duration of the tour approx 1 hour

Explanations on Islam & Culture of U.A.E

• Registration is required for the visit (Registration area located at entrance to mosque)
• Dress code required for the mosque visit should be modest and conservative, no shorts or skirts above the knee.
• Tour guides and tour companies must not enter the Mosque unless accompanied by a registered guide from the Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication
• Photographs and cameras are permitted during the Mosque visit
• Private visits can be arranged,

Al Noor Mosque Visit

 

[Al Bhatti]

September 4, 2011

Sherifa Madgwick, right, of the Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication, conducts a cultural session for tourists.


Sharjah opens mosque to non-Muslims as bridge between cultures

The Al Noor Mosque has become the third in the country to open its doors to non-Muslims to promote cross-cultural understanding.

Sherifa Madgwick, the general manager of the Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication, said the increasing number of visitors to the emirate brought a need to bridge the cultural divide.

"When tourists come here they have all these snippets of information about Islam and the UAE, mostly influenced by what they have read in books or through the media," said Mrs Madgwick.

"This makes our job - giving them a full and true understanding - even more important."

Noura Al Ali, a volunteer mosque guide, begins her tour of Al Noor by talking about its history, then goes into intricate detail about its Turkish-inspired minarets and domes before explaining the call to prayer and the other tenets of Islam.

The Emirati volunteer encourages questions from tourists as she guides them through the mosque on the banks of Khalid Lagoon, explaining various aspects of her religion and customs.

"We never get offended. In fact we try to politely understand their perspective and give ours," said Ms Al Ali, a student at Sharjah Women's College.

"One of the most striking conversations I have had with a visitor was when he asked me what my opinion was about Osama bin Laden.

"I told him his [bin Laden's] actions had nothing to do with religion and that what he did was a personal choice. No religion promotes violence."

The mosque tours will be part of a series of programmes offered by the Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication, a non-profit organisation supported by the Awqaf General Trust.

Mrs Madgwick, who was also involved in setting up the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding in Dubai, said the tours would be different to those at the Jumeirah Mosque in Dubai and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

"We have developed foreign language tours so we can cater to tour operators, the corporate sector and tourist groups," she said.

"This provides the opportunity for those who do not speak English to have a translated mosque visit in their native language."

The tours were introduced this year and organisers have already hosted small hotel groups.

"I found being a guide is an exciting way to share ideas and my culture with the people I meet," said Ms Al Ali, who heard about the tours from her uncle.

"When I talk to them I feel happy. I now feel like I have friends from Germany, Russia, Norway, Switzerland … from all over the world."

The centre will also offer Arabic classes, cultural question and answer gatherings, and a school outing programme for private schools, which begins this month.

Cultural questions were also tackled at a recent event organised by the centre at the Coral Beach Hotel, where a tent was set up for an information session and iftar.

One of the people who attended was Ludmiha Makovenco from Serbia, who was on a 10-day holiday and had several questions about women, their freedom and marriage.

"It was interesting to see openness of the society and the progress the country has made," said Ms Makovenco.

Mrs Madgwick answered questions such as "why do women wear black?" and "is it true that women here do not have passports?"

"We are all very naive about each other's cultures," she said. "That is why we want to conduct these two-way forums more often and plan to set this up at different hotels, once a week."

The organisation operates with a team of seven volunteers in the Awqaf premises but is planning to expand and move into the heritage area of the city.

"Our future plans include building a house-like atmosphere with a library where people can immerse themselves, cook, have lunches and just meet up for some cultural talk," she said.

Sharjah opens mosque to non-Muslims as bridge between cultures | The National

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Really such a view of Arabs and muslims? Women cannot have passports?

I remember one similar incident in Dubai where a volunteer was asked by a tourist how many wives your father has?

 

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