This post and its companions (Praying Facing East and Praying Facing South) have been developed from the November 2011 post ‘Three
Favourite Mosques’. The world has many fine mosques we have yet to
visit, but we have now seen more than enough to make ‘Three Favourites’ a very
limited ambition – indeed the 'favourites' now fill three posts.
Islam is the world’s second largest religion with 1.9 billion adherents. It is the majority religion in 49 countries, centred on the middle east but with a vast geographical spread. In 2005 we visited The Great Mosque in Xi’an in China. Some distance away an English-speaking person with an overloud voice (his nationality was immediately obvious) was giving his Chinese guide the benefit of his knowledge of Islam. ‘They have to pray facing East,’ he announced.
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| This map comes from Wikipedia. It is the work of Tracey M Hunter, the figures are from Pew Research Centre It is reproduced un changed under Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike |
Muslims, of course, pray facing Mecca, the city, now
in Saudi Arabia, that was home to the Prophet Muhammed. To make sense of my
collection of mosques I have split it into three, depending of the (rough) direction
of Mecca. The mosques I have selected are old or beautiful or quirky or have an
interesting history, or any combination of those four.
I should also point out I am not a believer, in Islam or any other religion, but I do like religious buildings.
For ease of access and because I have occasionally broken my own rules, countries are allocated as follows
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Jordan, Oman, Egypt, Libya, Portugal |
Arab Countries (with one obvious exception!) |
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Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia & Herzegovina |
Countries wholly or partly in Europe |
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Iran, India, China, Malaysia |
An ethnic mixed bag |
9 of the 18 are Muslim Majority countries, the others have or had an indigenous Muslim population.
Iran
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| In 2000 we followed the green line anticlockwise from Tehran to Tehran The featured mosques are in Shiraz, Isfahan and Tehran Thanks to Encyclopedia Britannica for the original map |
Iran is the land of my birth, but in 1951 the Iranian government nationalised its oilfields and had no further use for British engineers, or
their families. I left before I had taken my first step. In 2000 Lynne and I took
a journey through Iran to find my place of birth (that story is told in Finding my Way Home and two subsequent posts) and to see the country.
The Iranian regime can be difficult, particularly when Western governments flail around with no concept of the society
and culture they are dealing with, but the people are open and friendly.
For a country with Islam at the heart of both its government and the lives of its citizens we saw surprisingly few mosques, but the following is a small collection of truly memorable buildings.
Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque, Shiraz
The ‘Pink Mosque’ in Iran’s ‘Rose City’ was built between 1876 and 1888 on the orders of Shirazi aristocrat Hassan Ali Nasir ol-Molk, whose endowment foundation still funds the mosque.
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| Nasir ol-Molk Mosque, Shiraz |
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| Nasir ol-Molk Mosque interior, Shiraz |
My photographs do not do the mosque justice and all the tiles they show have geometric patterns. With no digital cameras in 2000, every press of the shutter used up precious film and
there was no instant feedback. I would do better now (I hope).
The elegant city of Isfahan has a wealth of
architectural gems, including three of the finest mosques in Iran.
The Friday Mosque, Isfahan
The first mosque on this site was built in 711. That burned down in the 11th century during the time of Turco-Persian Seljuq Empire
and was replaced by the basis of the current building consisting of four iwan
(vaulted open rooms) facing each other across a central courtyard.
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| The Southern iwan of Isfahan's Friday Mosque indicates the direction of Mecca - so it actually faces south west. The outline of a brick dome can be seen to the left and above. |
The brick chambers behind the southern and
northern iwan have the largest domes built in the period. Squinches are the architectural devices which permit circular based domes to be built on rectangular buildings. Elegant and often highly decorated they are a feature of many mosques.
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| Intricate brick squinch beneath the brick dome, Isfahan Friday Mosque |
The iwan are connected by prayer halls, and hypostyle areas with cupolas and piers. The Mongol, Muzzafarid, Timurid and Safavid rulers who followed the Seljuqs all contributed to their construction, so the mosque displays a history of 700 years of Iranian architecture.
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| Elaborate carved stucco mihrab commissioned in 1310 by Mongolian ruler Oljaytu, Frday Mosque, Isfahan |
Imam Mosque, Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan
Shah Abbas moved his capital to Isfahan in 1598. A kilometre southwest of the old Friday Mosque he built the magnificent Maidan-e
Naqsh-e Jahan (Image of the World Square), now also known as Maidan-e
Imam (Imam Square). The 560m by 160m square is framed by rows of
two-storey shops. Among these he built the Royal bazaar on the north side, and
the great Shah Mosque – now Imam Mosque - on the south, and oversaw the powers of
commerce and religion from the Ali Qapu Palace on the eastern side.
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| Imam Mosque, Isfahan |
The Imam Mosque has taken over the functions of the old Friday Mosque, but when we were there it was undergoing extensive repair work. It
was a little difficult to appreciate the ‘pinnacle of Safavid architecture’
when peering through scaffolding at decoration removed for conservation.
The Sheik Lotfollah Mosque, Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan
The Sheik Lotfollah Mosque on the west side of the square was one of the original ‘Three Favourite Mosques'. Built a little later in Shah Abbas’ reign it was completed in 1618, and is a little gem.
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| Sheik Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan |
It has no minarets as it was intended for the private use of the Shah's hareem. Allegedly connected to the Ali Qapu Palace (from which
the photo above was taken) by a tunnel under the square, the entrance was
guarded from prying eyes. It is now open for all to enjoy.
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| The inside of the dome, Sheik Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan |
The Mausoleum of Ruholla Khomeini, Behesht-e Zahra, Tehran
Strictly speaking this a mausoleum not a mosque, but let’s
not be picky.
Behest-e Zahra (The Paradise of Zahra) is a
vast public cemetery on the southern edge of metropolitan Tehran containing 1.6
million graves. By far the most noticeable is that of Ruhollah Khomeini.
Ayatollah Khomeini was the guiding hand behind the revolution that overthrow
the Shah in 1979 and when he died ten years later the authorities immediately
started building this mausoleum.
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| The mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini, Tehran |
Much as the Shah deserved overthrowing, Khomeini was
not an easy man for outsiders to like - if he was not dogmatic, humourless and unempathetic,
he did a good impression of it. His mausoleum is not an easy building to like
either – it looks tastelessly ostentatious to me. On the other hand, foreigners
(without their cameras) are welcome inside where the atmosphere is remarkably peaceful. After a more than routine frisk the guard asked where I came
from. ‘You are welcome!’ he said when I told him, and gave me a beaming smile.
India
14% of Indians are Muslims, but India has such a vast population that 14% means 189 million people. Hindu majority India has the
world’s third largest Muslims population after Indonesia and Pakistan. There
are, therefore, a lot of mosques and I am choosing four; not because they are typical
– typicality means little in a country of such diversity – but because they
caught my eye.
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| India with Kerala ringed |
Mappila Mosques, Kozhikode (formerly Calicut), Kerala
Kerala faces the Arabian Sea in India’s southwest corner and has traded across that sea for millennia. More diverse than most
states, Hindus are only just a majority (56%) and there are substantial Muslims
(26%) and Christian (18%) minorities.
Mappilas are the Muslim descendants of native converts, some with part middle eastern ancestry from the earliest trading days. Most Mapillas live along the northern part
of the coast and are so integrated into Keralan society that their mosque look more Keralan than Islamic.
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| Mapilla Mosque, Calicut |
The overhanging eves and slatting were designed to
keep interiors cool in the days before air-conditioning. They are remarkably
effective and admit more light than you might expect.
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| Minaret of Mapilla Mosque, Calicut |
The interiors of Mapilla Mosque are usually plain.
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| Interior of a Mapilla Mosque, Calicut, Kerala |
Mosque in Madikeri, Karnataka
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| Karnataka is ringed, Madikeri is in the south west, near the Kerala border |
Neighbouring Karnataka is overwhelmingly Hindu (84%), while Muslims (13%) are a small but historically important minority. The tiny Kingdom
of Kodagu (or Coorg) in south west Karnataka sought British protection in 1790 to
protect itself from the aggression of the Muslim Tipu Sultan of Mysore. At independence
Kodagu’s strong identity led to it briefly becoming a state in its own right, but
now it is one of the 30 districts of the State of Karnataka. Its capital is the
pleasant small town of Madikeri (pop:33,000).
There is nothing special about this mosque in Madikeri, I just liked the way the minarets are echoed by the telephone masts behind – both are structures designed for communication.
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| Mosque in Madikeri, Karnatika |
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| Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, Northern India |
Asafi Mosque, Bara Imambara, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow (pop:2.9 million), capital of the northern State of Uttar Pradesh is very different from Madikeri. It was the
centre of the 1857 ‘Indian Mutiny’ which destroyed the East India Company and the Mughal Empire and
ushered in the British Raj. Previously, it had been capital of the Kingdom of Awadh, which emerged in 1722 and accepted British control in 1764. Awadh was one
of many princely states where a Muslim nawab or sultan ruled an overwhelmingly Hindu
populace
An Imambara is a hall where Shia Muslims gather on the
anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet, at the Battle
of Karbala (680 CE).
Lucknow has several imambaras, but this is the largest and its mosque is as fine any in northern India.
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| Asifi Mosque, Bara Imambara, Lucknow |
see Lucknow (1) City of Nawabs(2013)
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| Delhi (ringed) the capital of India |
Majid-i Jehan Juma, Old Delhi
If Awadh was just one of many Muslim ruled Hindu states, the Mughal Empire (1526-1857) to which all eventually became vassal
states, was the ultimate case of Muslims ruling Hindus.
The Empire had several capitals before settling in
Delhi in 1648 once Shah Jahan had completed the Red Fort. An indefatigable
builder Shah Jahan started on the Masjid-i Jehan Numa
(Mosque of the Celestial Sphere), also called the Jama Masjid (Friday
Mosque), in 1650 before completing the Taj Mahal (1653). The Taj was
built as a tomb for his beloved first wife Mumtaz and he was
The Masjid-i Jehan Numa is one of the largest mosques in India. The prayer halls either side of the iwan are relatively small, but
local weather usually allows worshippers to pack the courtyard and stand six deep
along the tops of the walls. Allegedly the mosque accommodates 25,000
worshippers at Eid and other festivals.
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| Majid-i Jehan Numa, Old Delhi |
The weather is not always good. When we visited in February 2013, Delhi was cold and drizzly.
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| Lynne in the drizzle by the Eastern Gate wearing the dressing gown given to all potentially immodest western women |
see Delhi (1) mainly Old Delhi, but some New Delhi, too
China
China is the only country in the world with more
people than India and 3% of its 1.4b citizens (42 million) identify as Muslims.
I dislike the way India’s Hindu Nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
goaded and marginalised India’s Muslims, but he is a paragon of virtue compared
with China’s President Xi who is determinedly leading China backwards to the
bad old days.
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| Xinjiang in Red |
25 million of China’s Muslims are Uighurs, one of the 55 official minorities. Of all the ethnic minorities I have encountered or read
about the Uighurs and Tibetans are, in different ways, the least like the majority
Han population, in religion, looks, diet, language and script. Each has a
homeland, Xizang for the Buddhist Tibetans and the huge Xinjiang Autonomous
Region for the Uighurs - but there has always been distrust between the Uighurs
and the Han.
Officially encouraged Han migration means that the Uighurs are no longer a majority (45%) in their own homeland and are only 12% of the population in the capital, Urumqi.
The Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar
Kashgar in the far west of the region - closer to Beirut than Beijing – has 500,000 inhabitants, 90% of them Muslim Uighurs. Id
Kah Square is the heart of the city and Id Kah Mosque, originally built in 1443,
though much altered since, was when we visited (2008) China’s oldest and most
active mosque.
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| Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar |
Non-believers are welcomed but we found the interior disappointing. I doubt it was ever an architectural gem and after so many refurbishmentsit has lost all sense of antiquity. Two
outdoor pulpits and a large, plain central prayer hall - spoiled as a place for
meditation by the guardian playing music on his mobile phone - sit beside a rose
garden. Ten thousand regularly attend Friday prayers but Sunday morning was very
quiet.
We liked Id Kah Square in the evening when the locals gathered to watch television on a big screen in one corner….
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| Watching TV, Id Kah Square, Kashgar |
….while elsewhere children played and families strolled.China has one time zone, Beijing time, but most Kashgaris work on unofficial local
time two hours behind. Maybe this accounts for the large number of children out
well after 10pm.
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| Id Kah Square in the evening |
- Kashgar (1) The Sunday Market and the Former Britsh Consulate (2008)
- Kashgar (2) Upal, Abahk Hoja and the Old Town (2008)
Emin Mosque, Turpan
The Turpan depression is a huge oasis taking up the north-eastern quarter of Xinjiang. It lies below sea-level and the city of Turpan at its
centre is the hottest city in China.
The largely Uighur populated city is surrounded by vineyards,
famous for their intensely sweet green raisins. Beside the vineyards on the
edge of town is the Emin Mosque. The region was taken from the Dzungar Mongols
and incorporated into China during the Qing dynasty. The Uighurs had sought
Chinese protection from the Dzungar Mongols and the mosque, completed in 1778,
honours Emin Khoja, a Uighur general who had fought alongside the Qing
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| The Emin Mosque, Turpan |
I love the clean, simple lines of this building, which was another of the original ‘three favourites.’ The huge pepper-pot minaret -
at 44m the highest in China - recalls the great mosques of Samarkand and Bukhara.
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| Corridor Inside the Emin Mosque |
seeTurpan:
Ruined Cities of the Silk Road (2008)
The building is government owned and no longer functions as a mosque; so I expect it is still there. I am less certain about Id Kah.
The Great Mosque, Xi’an
Not all Chinese Muslims are Uighurs; the
Hui are another group over 10 million strong. Although one of the 55 recognised
ethnic minorities, the Hui are the only Muslim group with no language other than
their local Chinese dialect. They are indistinguishable from the Han majority except
for the women’s headscarves and men’s white hats.
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| Young Hui chef pulling us some fresh noodles, Huizhou, southern China |
Although more frequent in the north-western
provinces, Hui live throughout the Han heartland. Xi’an, right in that
heartland, has a Hui Muslim quarter and a Great Mosque built in the 14th
century, though much changed over the centuries. This is the mosque where I heard
that individual giving loud and confident voice to his ignorance.
The mosque has a prayer hall….
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| Prayer Hall, Xi'an Great Mosque |
…and an ‘Examining the Heart Tower’ which I
took for a minaret.
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| Examining the Heart Tower, Xi'an Great Mosque |
Most mosques show some level of Arabic
influence, but some, like the Mappila mosques in India and Xi’an’s Great Mosque
are entirely in the local vernacular.
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| I will look at mosques in Malacca (Melaka), Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Kangsar further to the north |
Malaysia
All Malays are, by law, Muslims, but Malays only account for 55% of the population. A further 14% are from other
indigenous groups, about half of whom are Muslim, half Christian bringing the
country’s Muslim population to about 61%. 23% of Malaysians are of Chinese
origin mainly followers of Buddhism, Taoism and Chinese folk religions. A
further 7% are of Indian origin, mainly Hindus.
Malaysia is complicated. There are tensions between the groups at political level, but to the traveller the Malay Peninsula presents a gloriously harmonious diversity of ethnicity, religion, tradition and cuisine.
Kampung Kling Mosque, Malacca
Jalan Tukang Emas in Malacca showcases
Malaysia’s diversity. Almost side by side are a Buddhist Temple, a Taoist
temple, the Kampung Kling Mosque and a Hindu temple. Christ Church is in Dutch Square
at the end of the street.
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| Jalan Tukang Emas. Malacca, photo taken from the Buddhist temple |
Originally built in 1748 and extensively
restored in 1872, Masjid Kampung Kling, like the Indian Mappila Mosques and Xi’an’s
Great Mosque shows little Arabic influence. It is, I read, Sumatran in style,
but I have not been there (yet) so I have seen nothing like it.
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| Masjid Kampung Kling, Melacca |
The wudu for washing before prayers
features Portuguese and English tiles and a roof supported by cast iron Corinthian
columns. An eclectic mixture that is typically Malaysian.
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| Wudu, Masjid Kampung Kling, Malacca |
Unlike churches, mosques rarely have a graveyard attached, but Kampung Kling does. Elaborate memorials are not the Muslim way, a simple stone marker is enough – your status in life no longer matters, all are equal in the sight of God.
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| Graveyard, Masjid Kumpung Kling, Malacca< |
The Jamek Mosque, Kuala Lumpur and the Ubudiah Mosque, Kuala Kangsar
Kuala Lumpur means ‘muddy confluence’, though today the confluence of the Gombak and Klang Rivers is tidily canalised and
mud-free. The confluence is the site of the Jamek Mosque, KL’s oldest functioning
mosque (it opened in 1909 - KL is a young city). Now dwarfed by the surrounding
buildings it can accommodate 5,000 worshippers and was the national mosque
until the Masjid Negara, was built in 1965. The design, variously described as
a Moorish, Indo-Saracenic or Mughal, was by English architect A. B. Hubback.
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| Jamek Mosque, Kuala Lumpur |
Hubback was responsible for several other buildings in the city and the Ubudiah Mosque in Kuala Kangsar, the royal capital of Perak State 240Km to the north. In 1911, Idris Shah I, Sultan of Perak, was taken ill and vowed that should he recover he would build a mosque. This is the result.
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| Ubudiah Mosque, Kuala Kangsar |
It looks to me, from his mosques and other buildings, that Hubback had swallowed the myth of the ‘mystic orient’ and was attempting to capture a romance that only ever existed in European minds. But Idris ordered it and Idris liked it (as far as I know) so perhaps I am wrong. Another interesting question is how did this Liverpudlian brother of an Anglican bishop come to design two of the most important mosques in Malaysia?
See also
See also
The Variety of Mosques (1) Praying Facing South
The Variety of Mosques (2) Praying Facing West
The Variety of Mosque (3) Praying Facing East
