Blue Mosque, Yerevan

The “Blue Mosque”, also known as the “Gyok Jami” (Masjed-i Kabud), is a mosque in Yerevan, Armenia. It was built in 1766 during the reign of Hussein Ali, the khan of Erivan (and is therefore sometimes referred to as “the mosque of Hussein Ali”). It was the largest of eight functioning mosques in Yerevan when the city was captured by Russia in 1827. The complex consisted of a main prayer room, a library, a medresse with 28 cells, all organised around a courtyard, with the overall complex occupying 7,000 square metres of land. It originally had four 24-metre high minarets – however, three of them were later demolished. 

Due to the secularist policies of the Soviet government, religious services at the Blue Mosque were stopped, and in 1931 the building was turned into the Museum of the City of Yerevan. 

Erivan blue mosque in olden times. 

In the second half of the 1990s, the mosque underwent a heavy and aesthetically damaging restoration funded by Iran , and Islamic religious services have now resumed. 

Manhattan Mosque, New York

The mosque is square in plan and is contained within a 27m cube and surmounted by a copper clad, pre-cast dome. The prayer space is open and free of columns due to the structure which incorporates four steel trusses. The square as design principle is carried through to the facade and interior ornamentation. 

Architects: 

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP 

Swanke Hayden Connell & Partners 

Manhattan Islamic Cultural Center

The Islamic Cultural Center was the first building erected as a mosque in New York City. It contains the two primary elements that traditionally compose an Islamic house of worship: a mosque and a minaret. Within the mosque, the mihrab, or alter niche, faces Mecca, dictating the mosque’s 29 degree angle from the Manhattan street grid. This alignment creates a traditional exterior court for worshipers to gather before services. The geometric form of the mosque, based on a recurring theme of square units, follows Islamic law, which prohibits the depiction of natural forms since they are made in the image of God. The result is a striking blend of ancient Islamic tradition and contemporary design and materials. 

Djemaa El Djedid, Algiers

Algeria’s mosques are interesting, different styles reflect upon Algeria’s national history. The one that all seem to get a chance to visit is not only conveniently located next to the harbour, it is also quite unique. Djemaa el-Djedid, means New Mosque, but this Ottoman mosque dates back to 1660. It combines Turkish styles of vaults and domes with an Andalucian minaret, but most noteworthy is the shape of its ground, with the form of a cross; nobody knows why. One popular story tells that its architect was a Christian, who was punished for just this by death.

Pul-e Khishti Mosque (Kabul)

Pul-e Khishti Mosque is the largest mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan. Located in the center of old Kabul , the Pul-e Khishti Mosque can be identified by its large blue dome. The mosque originally was erected in the late 18th Century, but largely rebuilt under Zahir Shah in the late 1960s. It was damaged during recent fighting in the area, but is one of the few buildings in the area which has had restoration work done on it. 

Many Kabulis assert that the imam of this mosque for many years in the early part of the 20th century was an Englishman who had converted to Islam, and that the imam returned to England after relinquishing his position at the mosque. 

Shkoder mosque

Lead Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Plumbit) is a historical mosque in Shkoder, northwestern Albania. It is located on a small lake and is not functional. 

It took the name Lead Mosque, because all of its cupolas were covered with lead. 

The Lead Mosque was built in 1773 by the Albanian pasha Mehmed Bushati of the noble Bushati family, who was vizier of Pashalik of Scutari at the time. Through this act, he intended to give his city of birth, the feeling of the capital. It is said that the mosque's edifice was built on land owned by the catholic church. 

Mehmed Bushati was personally involved with the construction and stones were incised under his patronage. Almost every day, he stepped down from his residence, the Rozafa Castle, to follow the progress of the works. 

The first Imam of the mosque was Haxhi Ahmet Misria, who was of Egyptian origin. He came to Albania after the contacts he had with Mehmed Bushati. After him, other Imams served and also took care of the mosque. 

In 1967, Lead Mosque was closed down, just like the other religious institutions, after the anti-religious communist leader Enver Hoxha declared Albania an atheist state. Unlike many mosques that were destroyed during this time, it survived from the communist regime, probably because it was declared a Cultural Monument in 1948

Cordoba Mosque, Spain

The Mezquita (Spanish for "Mosque") of Cordoba, Spain is a beautiful and fascinating 8th-century mosque-cathedral combination that symbolizes the many religious changes Cordoba has undergone over the centuries. 

Today, the Mezquita is the cathedral of Cordoba (officially the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption) and no longer a mosque, but the vast majority of its architecture owes its origin to the Islamic architects who built it as a mosque in the 8th century.  Cordoba Mosque, Spain

"Córdoba's mosque is one of the earliest and most transportingly beautiful examples of Spanish Muslim architecture." 

– Fodor's Spain 

"Well worth diverting from anywhere in Southern Spain to see it." – TripAdvisor traveler review 

History 

The site on which the Mezquita stands has long been a sacred space – it was first host to a Roman temple, then a Visigoth cathedral church of St Vincent of Saragossa, then a mosque (the Mezquita). Finally, a Baroque cathedral was added inside the mosque by the Christian conquerors in the early 13th century. 

The construction of the Mezquita lasted for over two centuries, starting in 784 AD under the supervision of the emir of Cordoba, Abd ar-Rahman I. Under Abd ar-Rahman II (822-52), the Mezquita held an original copy of the Koran and an arm bone of the prophet Mohammed, making it a major Muslim pilgrimage site. 

The Mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd ar-Rahman III ordered a new minaret, while Al-Hakam II, in 961, enlarged the plan of the building and enriched the mihrab. The last of the reforms, including the completion of the outer naves and orange tree courtyard, were completed by Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir in 987. 

When finished, the Mezquita was the most magnificent of the more than 1,000 mosques in Cordoba. But Cordoba was subject to frequent invasion and each conquering wave added their own mark to the architecture. 

In 1236, Cordoba was recaptured from the Moors by King Ferdinand III of Castile and rejoined Christendom. The Christians initially left the architecture Mezquita largely undisturbed — they simply consecrated it, dedicated it to the Virgin Mary, and used it as a place of Christian worship. 

King Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the structure of the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features: Enrique II rebuilt the chapel in the 14th century; a nave was constructed with the patronage of Carlos V, king of a united Spain. 

The heavy, incongruous Baroque cathedral was sanctioned in the very heart of the mosque by Charles V in the 1520s. Artists and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century, making the Mezquita an intriguing architectural oddity. 

In 1931, Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal was the first Muslim to pray in the Mezquita since it was closed to Islam. In 1984, the historic center of Cordoba, including the Mezquita, was made a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

What to see 

The Mezquita de Cordoba is most notable for its giant arches and its forest of over 1,000 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple which had occupied the site previously, as well as other destroyed Roman buildings. Besides the horseshoe-topped arches, the Mezquita also features richly gilded prayer niches. 

Although it does not fit in with the rest of the mosque, the 16th-century Baroque cathedral is impressive in its own right, with an intricately carved ceiling and choir stalls. 

Its most interesting feature is the mihrab, a domed shrine of Byzantine mosaics built by Al Hakam II (961-76). It once housed the Koran and relics of Muhammad. In front of the Mihrab is the Maksoureh, a kind of anteroom for the caliph and his court; its mosaics and plasterwork make it a masterpiece of Islamic art. 

Outside the Mezquita is the Courtyard of the Orange Trees (Patio de los Naranjos), which in springtime is perfumed with orange blossoms and has a beautiful fountain. 

The Torre del Alminar, the minaret once used to summon the faithful to prayer, has a Baroque belfry. Hardy travelers can climb to the top to catch a panoramic view of Córdoba and its surroundings. 

Sources 

Personal visit (April 4, 2007) - see Cordoba blog post 

Why the Mezquita of Cordoba is Special - Hillman Wonders of the World 

Ernst J. Grube, Architecture of the Islamic World 

Dominique Clevenot, Splendors of Islam 

Darwin Porter, Frommer's Spain 2005 

Historic Centre of Cordoba – UNESCO World Heritage 

The Mezquita - Mary Ann Sullivan (six pages of photos w/ explanations of its art)

A Brief History of Masjids in China

From the 8th century until the 15th century Islam has spread rapidly amongst the Chinese by the actions of the Muslims

A Brief History of Masjids in China

From the 8th century until the 15th century Islam spread rapidly amongst the Chinese by the actions of the Muslims who worked in various fields like commerce, agriculture and civil services. Kuang-taise Mosque in Kanton and the mosques in Chang-an, Ch'uanchou, Hang-chou and Yang-chou are the oldest mosques in China that reached until today.

By Islam spreading in China over a long period of time and being embraced by different ethnic groups, it effected the architecture of the region as well as the political, economic, belief and cultural life of it. Islam entered China by the Arab and Iranian traders settling in the south and the eastern coasts of the country. Then in the periods of the Yuan (1271-1368) and the Ming (1368-1644) dynasties it spread into the interior regions of China by primarily the Turks and some Central Asian societies converting to Islam. Therefore, on several occasions like this the Muslim population has rapidly increased and reached a large number.

The Muslims settled especially in the cities like Kanton, Zeytun, Yang-chou and Hang-chou. Chinese people gave the name “Ta-shi” to the Muslims from the 7th century and in one of the ancient Chinese sources Hsin T'ang Shu the Muslims are described as follows, “Ta-shi occupied the Iranian land before. The men has black beards and carry a silver dagger, they do not drink wine or listen to music. The women cover their faces when they leave their homes. Every Friday in their large temple the sultan on a high chair will appeal to the public with the following sentences: Who ever eliminates the enemy will be happy. So the Ta-shies are valiant warriors. They worship god five times a day.”

In the riots Huang Ch'ao in 876 and then Tien Shen-Kung after it, thousands of Muslims have been massacred, although this has effected the development of Islam in China negatively, it couldn't stop it. In the period of the Yuan dynasty the Muslims have settled in all of the regions in China formed separate communities and was able to freely practice their islamic traditions and worships. Even protected by some governments and emperors in the period of the Yuang and Ming dynasties between the 8th and 15th centuries. It was alleged that the first emperor, T'ai-tsu, of the Ming dynasty in 1368 became a Muslim and in the same year built a mosque in Nanking named Chin-Chiao-shih. Some of the emperors of the same dynasty took the edict to protect Muslims.

From the 8th century until the 15th century Islam has spread rapidly amongst the Chinese by the actions of the Muslims, that were led by the sheikhs appointed amongst them by China. Being a religious-cultural-social centres, mosques also had its share in this. Built in the mentioned centuries, Hui-sheng-se as known as Kuang-tai-se Mosque was one of the first mosques built in the world at the beginning of the Islamic era. Apart from this one, Kuang-taise Mosque in Kanton, the mosques in Chang-an, Ch'uanchou, Hang-chou and Yang-chou have reached until today as being the China's oldest mosques. Here are some of the mosques that have played an important role in the spread of Islam in China and are still standing today with its properties:

Mosque construction shows growth of Islam in Thailand

Phadungsat Mosque in southern tourist area of Phuket built with Saudi Arabian donation of $35,000

Islam is a minority faith in Buddhist Thailand, yet mosques continue to be built outside of the predominantly Muslim areas on the Malaysian border, with Bangkok and the southern tourist resort of Phuket enjoying a sizeable Muslim community.

One such religious building is presently being erected in the heart of the Phuket district of Kamala, an enclosed bay and fishing village surrounded by forested hills just north of the lights and noise of the western fleshpots of Patong beach.

Construction of the Phadungsat Mosque began two years ago after an Imam visited Phuket during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

It is expected to be completed in the next year, with a Saudi Arabian donation of 1 million baht ($35,000) providing much of the collateral.

Muslims -- the second largest religious group in Thailand -- make up just 5 percent of the population as a whole, but 20 percent of those who live in Phuket are Muslim, many of whom are descendants of the island's original sea-dwelling people.

Outside of Phuket, the southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla and Chumphon have dominant Muslim populations, consisting of both ethnic Thai Muslims and ethnic Malay.