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Written by Ihsaan Abrahams
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Sunday, 23 November 2008 |
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 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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Sunday, 23 November 2008 |
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 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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Friday, 12 September 2008 |
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 Bondo Village, Malawi
These are the remains of the first Masjid built in Malawi. It is located in Bondo Village in the city of Khotakhota. A city that has over 300 Masaajid. According to local sources the Masjid was built in 1860. The Masjid is less than 20 meters away from the beach of lake Malawi. Unfortunately the Masjid has been neglected through the years but the people in the village are now making some effort to raise funds to rebuild the Masjid.
 Bondo Masjid  Memorial Stone  Visible Text |
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