9 world’s most beautiful mosques

Oriental traditions in architecture attract connoisseurs from all over the world with their shapes and colors. In Islam, images of saints and any other living beings are not welcome, so intricate patterns and quotes from the Koran are used in murals and mosaics. Although there are exceptions. For example, Shiites use images of Ali, a relative of the first Imam Mohammed, in their iconography.

And some manuscripts that have come down to us from antiquity contain images of holy Muslim prophets and animals. Despite these some contradictions, the mosques are really beautiful, unusual, they smell of history and fairy tales from “1000 and 1 Nights”. Many religious buildings are included in the treasury of world architecture and art of building, they are visited by millions of tourists every year. The most beautiful and recognized mosques will be discussed below.

• 9. Sultanahmet Mosque

  Turkey is especially famous for its architectural monuments, the Sultanahmet Mosque or the Blue Mosque was no exception. The name already contains the most common color in the decoration of mosques, used since ancient times.

  The mosque is considered the main attraction of Istanbul and one of the most important for Muslims around the world. The architectural complex is conveniently located on the shores of the Sea of ​​Marmara, nearby is a no less famous attraction - the Hagia Sophia Museum. In the early 1600s, Turkey fought with Iran and Austria, and as a result of the campaign, a shameful peace treaty was imposed on the Turks. To appease Allah, the then ruling Sultan Ahmed I built the Sultanahmet Mosque. In architectural terms, the Byzantine and classical Ottoman schools are used here.

  An interesting point: the Sultan ordered the builders to build 4 minarets - a classic solution of those times. By a strange accident, 6 minarets were built and no one was even punished for this due to their beauty and grandeur. The mosque was built of stone and marble, and more than 20,000 white and blue tiles were placed here - hence the name of the object.

• 8. Badshahi Mosque

  The mosque is located in Pakistani Lahore and is considered the second largest and most important in the country. In addition, for Muslims around the world, this mosque is the fifth in holiness and importance, built in 1673 by the last ruler of the Mughal dynasty, Emperor Aurangzeba.

  The capacity of this imperial mosque is more than 55,000 believers. The architectural ensemble consists of two locations - the building of the mosque itself and a stunning interior space, with ancient galleries. The building was built of red-colored stone, with elegant alabaster panels used in the decoration of the walls. The height of the vaulted main entrance of the Badshahi Mosque is almost 17 meters.

  The huge courtyard on ordinary days pleases the eye with finely crafted sandstone and white marble of the central pool, and on religious holidays it is covered with expensive woolen carpets. Ancient architects chose a solution of eight minarets, the height of the largest exceeds 60 meters. About 600,000 rupees were spent on the construction - fabulous money by today's standards. And the maintenance of the mosque took almost all the tax revenues of the principality.

• 7. Hussein Mosque

  One of the oldest mosques that have come down to our times is located in the capital of Egypt - Cairo and has been known since the beginning of the 12th century. The object is revered by devout Muslims from all over the world, but tourists also have something to admire here. Celebrations dedicated to the next birthday of the Prophet are held annually on the territory of the temple complex. With a large gathering of pilgrims, the interior of the Hussein mosque is covered with wicker mats, and at normal times, numerous children frolic here, the ministers do not even forbid to sleep here. In addition, the inner square hosts annual theatrical performances that tell the viewer about Hussein's last battle.

  The walls of the complex have a reddish tint; carved patterns on stone and beautiful niches were used in abundance here. Traditional oriental shops are located along the temple walls, offering colorful inexpensive souvenirs to tourists.

• 6. Mosque of Turkmenbashi Rukhy

  Turkmenistan is a Muslim country, but with an emphasis on secularism, even pork is not banned here, but horse meat cannot be officially bought. There are now only 5 mosques in the country, with a population of 1.3 million people.

  The Turkmenbashi Rukhy Mosque was built in 2004, it is the largest mosque with one dome, and it was built by French architects at the personal invitation of the then President of the country Saparmurat Niyazov. A mausoleum was also built here, in which the head of state rested already in 2006.

  The complex is built of white marble, the dome and the tops of the minarets are golden. The routes of the airlines are built in such a way that when landing, from the windows of the aircraft, a grandiose view of the mosque opens from above. The ensemble looks like an octagon, there are eight entrances, respectively. The height of the mosque building is 55 meters, 4 minarets rise 40 meters above it. At the main entrance, tourists are greeted by a magnificent cascading waterfall and a granite moat. The doors are made of expensive Moroccan walnut tree, carved eight-pointed stars are everywhere.

• 5. Hassan II Mosque

  The Moroccan King Hassan II decided to leave behind a memory for centuries and ordered to lay a majestic mosque. At the same time, he did not want to spend public money and forced all the inhabitants of the country to chip in into a common piggy bank. According to some reports, the Moroccans gathered as much as 500 million dollars in modern terms - a fantastic amount for those years. In return, royal certificates were issued, which the proud locals still demonstrate.

  The building of the temple complex is located on the very shore of the Atlantic Ocean, the walls and buildings of the Hassan II mosque are made of white marble. The architects built 2,500 columns at the location, and five dozen grandiose lamps were delivered straight from Venice.

  The "usable" area of ​​the mosque is impressive - more than 100,000 parishioners can be accommodated here at the same time, but there has never been such a number of believers. The floor in the prayer hall in some places has transparent inserts: under them splashes the boundless ocean. The complex is considered the second largest mosque, but for some reason is not popular. The minarets reach a height of 200 meters; this is a truly monumental structure.

• 4. Shah Mosque

  The architectural complex is located 350 kilometers from the capital of Iran - Tehran, in the city of Isfahan. In 1387, the city was known in many parts of the world, but it suffered the fate of the conquest by the army of the great Tamerlane. This was the period of the "great massacre", following the sad results of which, Timur's soldiers built a hill of 70,000 human skulls. But Isfahan was able to recover and revive, and even become the capital of Iran.

  By 1600, grandiose construction began in these places; the city literally rose from the ashes and became an important commercial and state center of the country. Now 1.5 million people live here, and the tradition of hand-made world-famous Persian carpets has been preserved here.

  The Shah Mosque reflects local Iranian traditions in the construction of late medieval places of worship. The area of ​​the temple complex exceeds 20,000 sq.m., the height of the mosque building is 52 meters, minarets - 42 meters. Inside the temple, tourists can enjoy the stunning beauty of the pulpit for reading the Koran, the marble mihrab for prayer. The echo inside the mosque is unique: it is reflected 12 times, regardless of the place where the sound originated.

• 3. Zahir Mosque

  One of the most important and revered mosques in Malaysia, built in 1912. The temple complex is also one of the 10 best and most beautiful mosques in the world, and the place where the ensemble was built has cult significance for the Malaysians: there was a cemetery of warriors who died in 1821 during the confrontation with Siam, which invaded these places.

  The architectural style of the mosque is practically unlike all other Muslim world shrines. More than 5,000 believers can simultaneously accommodate in the prayer hall of the temple, immediately behind its building is the building of the Sharia court and a nursery. The five domes of the mosque symbolize the five pillars of the Islamic faith and culture. Quran recitation competitions are held here. The Republic of Kazakhstan even issued commemorative and gold coins dedicated to the Zahir Mosque.

• 2. Sidi Uqba Mosque

  This temple complex is considered the oldest mosque in Africa, located 60 kilometers from the capital of Tunisia - the city of the same name. The mosque of Sidi Ukba (Okba, Uqbah) has been known since 670, according to legend, Allah himself showed the place for the construction of the temple, and the local commander of those times, Okba ibn Nafa, was able to embody the mosque in stone.

  The area of ​​the complex is about 9,000 m², it is the fourth most important mosque. This is a truly religious and prayerful place, all imbued with the spirit of history, East and Africa. There are 414 antique columns along the perimeter of the courtyard, and all of them have a different structure and ornament. The thing is that they were not created for the specific construction of a mosque, but were brought from the deserted cities of the Roman Empire, which were destroyed on the territory of Tunisia.

  Important artifacts are the ancient ruins brought from the famous Carthage. The minaret reaches a height of 30 meters and, according to legend, this is the first mosque where this object was used. The wooden pulpit for reading the Koran is perfectly preserved, and it is already at least 1,200 years old.

• 1. Zayed Mosque

  This mosque is called the "White Wonder of the East" and was built between 1994 and 2007 at a cost of 700 million euros. The shrine was built in honor of a real person, without whom such a country as United Arab Emirates would not have taken place. Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan Al Nahyan is considered the most revered person in the country, during his reign he united the disparate tribes and created one of the richest and most prosperous states.

  The architectural style of the mosque is the best historical methods of Muslim architecture and modern technologies. The best grades of marble were brought from China and Italy, carpets were created by the most famous Iranian craftsmen by hand (1,200 people worked). Greece and India became the suppliers of the best glass, Swarovski stones for decoration were made in Austria by the best hands of American engineers.

  Chandeliers were specially designed and assembled in Germany, and the weight of the central one is 12 tons. The Zayed Mosque is the largest Muslim temple complex, and the most luxurious one - every detail here is thought out and made from the most expensive materials.