The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque (), also known as the Grand Mosque of Riyadh, is a

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Friday mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.See: * * * * ...

in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, located adjacent to al-Hukm Palace compound, in Deera Square. It was established in the period , during the reign of Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud. The mosque was rebuilt in 1992 in

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Najdi architectural style. Seating 17,000 worshippers and measuring , it is one of the largest mosques in Saudi Arabia. The exterior and upper portion of the interior is primarily brown Arriyadh Limestone which appears golden when lit up at night. The lower portion of the interior is in white marble. The structure includes separate men's and women's libraries, each . The mosque is directly connected from the first floor to al-Hukm Palace via two bridges across as-Safaat Square.

History

The mosque was rebuilt in 1992 on the site of a previous grand mosque, that was built sometime between 1826 and 1830 during the reign of Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Saud. A Grand Mosque existed on the site for decades but was rebuilt by the Arriyadh Development Authority and reopened in January 1993.

Architecture

Najdi style, the mosque was a recipient of the

Aga Khan Award for Architecture The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the fie ...

in 1995. The

minarets 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 ...

of the mosque previously featured a mix of Ottoman and

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styles, with two rectangular sections topped by three rounded sections and a top section coming to a point with round shapes atop it. The courtyard porticos rose in a triangular with decor above. The minarets were however rebuilt in rectangular neo-Najdi style, the courtyard completely resurfaced and the porticos are now a modernized version of their former shape.

References

External links

Getty Images for building
{{Mosques in Saudi Arabia 1826 establishments in Asia 19th-century mosques in Saudi Arabia 20th-century mosques in Saudi Arabia Grand mosques Mosque buildings with minarets in Saudi Arabia Mosques completed in 1993 Mosques completed in the 1830s Mosques in Riyadh Religious buildings and structures completed in 1830 Sunni mosques in Saudi Arabia

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links