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Written by Ihsaan Abrahams
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Sunday, 23 November 2008 |
 Minaret
Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque (Might of Islam) (also known as the Qutb Mosque or the Great Mosque of Delhi) was built by Qutb-ud-din Aybak, founder of the Mamluk or Slave dynasty. The mosque construction started in the 1190s when Aibak was the commander of Muhammad Ghori's garrison occupied Delhi. The mosque is said to be built by the parts taken by destruction of twenty-seven Hindu and Jain temples. Historical records compiled by Muslim historian Maulana Hakim Saiyid Abdul Hai attest to the iconoclasm of Qutb-ud-din Aybak. The first mosque built in Delhi, the "Quwwat al-Islam" was built after demolishing the Jain temple built previously by Prithvi Raj and leaving certain parts of the temple outside the mosque proper. This pattern of iconoclasm was common during his reign, although an argument goes that such iconoclasm was motivated more by politics than by religion.It was the first mosque built in Delhi after the Islamic conquest of India and the best surviving example of Ghurid's architecture.
 Ruins  Ruins  Sky view
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Written by Ihsaan Abrahams
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Sunday, 23 November 2008 |
 Minaret
The Great Mosque of Guangzhou, known also as Huaisheng Mosque (Memorial of the Holy Prophet) or the Guangta Mosque (Light Tower Mosque), is thought to be the earliest surviving mosque in China and has the earliest freestanding minaret in China.
Manuscripts from 1206 claim that the mosque was built by an uncle of the Prophet, Abi Waqqas, on the first Muslim mission to China in the 630s. However, it is more certain that a mosque was first built here during the Tang Dynasty, or in the early years of the Song Dynasty. The mosque was entirely rebuilt in 1350 during the Yuan dynasty under the rule of Zhizheng (1341-1368), and rebuilt again in 1695 under Emperor Kangzi of the Qing dynasty, after being destroyed in a fire.
The Huaisheng Light Tower, the mosque's unique namesake minaret, was built at an earlier period. Like its contemporaries at Quanzhou, Hangzhou and Yangzhou, the Great Mosque of Guangzhou is notable for its integration of the local Han building tradition with imported Arab styles.
 Minaret  Courtyard  Courtyard  Frontview  Interior |
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Written by Ihsaan Abrahams
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Friday, 10 October 2008 |
 Masjid Amr Al Aas
Amr was the Muslim general who conquered Egypt against the Romans, and was known by the Egyptian Copts as a liberator against Roman oppression.
The original mosque measured about 29 m in length and 17 m in width, overlooking the river Nile from the northwest side. Since then it was extended multiple times as the Muslim population grew. As well as being a mosque, it served as a learning institution, before the worlds first University, also in Egypt, Al-Azhar predating Bologna, Oxford and Cambridge.
 Courtyard  Arches  Front of Masjid |
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Written by Ihsaan Abrahams
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Friday, 12 September 2008 |
 Sultan Ahmad Masjid
The Sultan Ahmed Masjid is a historical Masjid in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1453 to 1923. The Masjidis one of several known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other Masaajid, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Masjid has become one of the greatest tourist attractions of Istanbul.
 Entrance  Interior  At Night  Ablution
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