The Grand Mosque () is a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

Emirate of Dubai The Emirate of Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It is the most populous emirate of the UAE. The capital of the emirate is the eponymous city, Dubai. Governance Dubai is governed as an absolute monarchy by the A ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. It is located between the textile

souk A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets that have doors ...

and the

Dubai Museum Dubai Museum () is the main museum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is located in the Al Fahidi Fort (), built in 1787 and is the oldest existing building in Dubai. The museum was opened by the Ruler of Dubai in 1971, with the aim of presenti ...

close to a small stream in the

Bur Dubai Bur Dubai () is a historic district in Dubai, located on the western side of the Dubai Creek. The name is a reference to the traditional separation of the area from Deira by the creek. Description The Ruler's Court is located in the district ...

area. Originally built in 1900, demolished and built again in 1960, it then underwent a further rebuilding in 1998 (the present one). It now holds up to 1,200 worshippers. Non-Muslims are permitted to enter the Mosque daily from Sunday to Thursday from 9 AM to 11:30 AM for free tours. The mosque is the hub of Dubai's religious and cultural life.

History

The mosque was originally a school devoted to study of the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

, known as a ''

kuttab A kuttab ( ''kuttāb'', plural: ''kataatiib'', ) or maktab () is a type of elementary school in the Muslim world. Though the ''kuttab'' was primarily used for teaching children in reading, writing, grammar, and Islamic studies, such as memorizing ...

'', which welcomed its first students in the year 1900 to learn the Qur'an by rote. This building was replaced by a new mosque on the same site in 1960, which in turn was itself rebuilt in 1998, closer in style to the original of 1900. This mosque is one of the largest in Dubai and is dominant edifice in the old city.

Architecture

The tallest feature of the mosque is the

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

, the tallest in Dubai, which resembles a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

. The sandy-grey walls are generally unadorned, but there is a large Quranic inscription inlaid above the five columns of the entrance facade, which sit at the top of a short flight of six steps. The 45 small and nine larger domes with the tall minaret cover the roof of the Grand Mosque. The wooden windows are fitted with hand-made stained glass and blend well with the old town of Bur Dubai, and its minaret is designed in

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

n architectural style. Visitors to the mosque are advised to dress conservatively. The mosque has a capacity of up to 1,200 worshippers. Nearest metro station is Al Fahidi.

References

{{Dubai topics Mosques completed in 1998 Mosques in Dubai Mosques completed in 1900 Mosque buildings with domes in the United Arab Emirates

Mosque buildings with minarets in the United Arab Emirates 20th-century mosques in the United Arab Emirates 1900 establishments in Asia

History

Architecture

See also

References