Mosque
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A mosque is a Muslim house of worship, analogous to a Christian church or Jewish temple, and will be found in any Muslim community around the world.
Almost all mosques include a minaret from which the imam, or priest, issues calls to worship. All mosques have markers inside them indicating the direction to Mecca, as Muslims pray facing Mecca.
Famous mosques
- Masjid al-Haram: A mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It contains the Kaaba and is the site of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. It is considered the holiest site in Islam. [1]
- Masjid al-Nabawi: A mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. It is considered the second-holiest site in Islam.[2]
- Al-Aqsa Mosque: Also known as Temple Mount, it was built on the site of the former Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. Believed by Muslims to be the place where Muhammad ascended into Heaven, it is the third-holiest site in Islam.[3]
- Imam Ali Mosque: Located in Najaf, Iraq. A holy site for the Shi'ite branch of Islam.
- Hagia Sophia: A former Christian church during the Byzantine Empire, it was captured and converted into a mosque in 1453 when the Ottoman Empire was established in Istanbul. It served as the city's principal mosque for nearly 500 years before being converted to a museum in 1934 under the secular government of President Kemal Ataturk.[4]
- Lal Masjid: Radical mosque in Pakistan that was raided by the Pakistani police in 2007.
Masjid al-Haram, the holiest site in Islam.
Friday Mosque, Afghanistan.
Kasbah of Algiers Mosque.
Abu el-Abbas el-Mursi Mosque, Egypt.
Acheen Mosque, Malaysia.
Badshahi Mosque, Pakistan.
Badshahi Mosque, Pakistan.
Mosque, Beirut, Lebanon.
The Shahjahani Mosque in Thatta, Pakistan.
Omayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria.
Masjid al-Nabawi, Medina, Saudi Arabia.
References
- ↑ Miller, Pamela. "Journey of a lifetime", Star Tribune, 2006-01-07, p. 12E.
- ↑ Abu-Nasr, Donna. "Many Saudis criticize attack", Ventura County Star, 2004-12-09, p. 16.
- ↑ "Arafat to be buried in soil from Islam's third holiest site", Associated Press, 2004-11-11.
- ↑ http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-hagia-sophia