The architecture of most of the mosques are a continuation of pre-Islamic architecture of palaces build during the Parthian and Sassanian dynasties of Persia. The Sarvestan palace from the Sassanian era is a great example of this. The idea of having an arched entrance and a central dome is clearly one borrowed from pre-Islamic, Persian architecture. After the Arab invasion of Persia, this architecture, as well as elements of Sassanian culture, was used for the new Islamic world. Many forms of mosques have evolved in different regions of the Islamic world. Notable mosque types include the early Abbasid mosques, T-type mosques and the central –dome mosques of Anatolia. The oil-wealth of the twentieth century drove a great deal of mosque construction using Muslim modern architects and promoting the careers of important contemporary Muslim architects.

A common feature in all the mosques is the minaret, the tall, slender tower that usually is situated at one of the corners of the mosque structure. The top of the minaret is always the highest point in mosques that have one, and often the highest point in the immediate area.

The first mosques had no minarets, and even nowadays many Islamic movements avoid building minarets, seeing them as ostentatious and unnecessary. The first minaret was constructed in 665 in Basra during the reign of the Umayyad caliph Muawiyah I.

Many Muslims rulers after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), emulating him, established their domains by first building a mosque. In the same way Mecca and Medina are built around the Masjid Al-Haram and the Masjid Al-Nabawi.

Mosques:

Al-Masijid Al-Haram

Al-Masjid al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque), is the largest mosque in the world. Located in the city of Mecca, it surrounds the Kaaba, the place which Muslims turn towards while offering daily prayers and is considered by Muslims as the holiest place on Earth. The mosque is also commonly known as the Grand Mosque, Haram or Haram Sharif. The current structure covers an area of 356,800 square meters including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to 4 million worshippers during the Hajj period, one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world.

Mosque of Cordoba

The Mezquita (Spanish for mosque) of Cordoba is a Roman Catholic cathedral and former mosque situated in the Andalusian city of Cordoba, Spain. Under the rule of Islam, it was built as the second-largest mosque in the world, and is perhaps the most accomplished monument of the Umayyad dynasty of Cardoba. After the Spanish Reconquista, it was transformed into a church, and some of the Islamic columns and arches were replaced by a basilica in early Baroque style. Today it houses the main church of the diocese of Cardoba in Spain.

Al-Azhar Mosque

Located in El Hussein Square, the Al-Azhar Mosque (the most blooming), established in 972 (361 H) in a porticoed style shortly after the founding of Cairo itself, was originally designed by the Fatimid general Jawhar El-Sequili (Gawhara Qunqubay, Gawhar al-Sakkaly) and built on the orders of Caliph Muezz Li-Din Allah. Located in the center of an area teaming with the most beautiful Islamic monuments from the 10^th century, it was called ‘Al-Azhar’ after Fatama al-Zahraa, daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It limited both the Amr Ibn El-As and Ibn Tulun mosques. The first Fatimid monument in Egypt, the Azhar was both a meeting place for Shi’a students and through the centuries. It has remained a focal point of the famous university which has grown up around it. It was under Yaqoub Ibn Cals that the mosque became a teaching institute. This is the oldest university in the world, where the first lecture was deliverd in 975 AD.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) is a historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is one of several mosques known as the ‘Blue Mosque’ for the blue tiles adoring the walls of its interior. It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. like many other mosques; it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrassah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has become one of the greatest tourist attractions of Istanbul.

Grand Mosque of Damascus’

The Grand Mosque of Damascus’, also known as the Ummayad Mosque, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Located in one of the holiest sites in the old city of Damascus, it is of great architectural importance.

The mosque holds a shrine which is said to contain the head of John the Bptist (yahya), honored as a Prophet by Muslims and Christians alike. The head was supposedly found during the excavations for the building of the mosque also holds an important Shi’ite shrine, of Hussein, the grandchild of the Prophet (PBUH). This shrine is located at the far (eastern) end of courtyard from the main entrance, and is visited by many Shi’ite pilgrims, especially from Iraq. The tomb of Saladin stands in a small garden adjoining the north wall of the mosque.

Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque

Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque at Second Cross Street, in the Pettah Bazaar area, is one of the most striking buildings in Colombo. Completed in 1909, the Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque is striped red and white like a layer cake, a design that is reminiscent of another mosque which was also completed in 1909, the Masjid Jamek of Kaula Lumpur. Admittedly, though, the Jami-Ul-Alfar is the more garish of the two. The architect of the Jami-Ul-Alfar was one H.L. Saibo Lebbe, and construction began in 108, completing the following year.

Masjid Al-Dahab (or The Golden Mosque)

Masjid al-Dahab also known as the Golden Mosque is situated in the predominantly Muslim section of the Quiapo district in Manila, Philippines, and is considered the largest mosque in Metro Manila. The Golden Mosque is so-named because of its dome is painted in shining gold. Under the supervision of former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos, it was constructed in 1976 for the visit of Libya’s President Muammar al-Gaddafi, although his visit was cancelled. It now serves many in Manila’s Muslim community, and is especially full during Jummah prayers on a Friday.

Jamia Mosque

Jamia Mosque is a mosque located on Banda Street, Nairobi, Kenya in the Central Business District. The mosque is one of Kenya’s most prominent religious structures, and the most important mosque in the country. The mosque is recognizable by its silver domes, and two twin minarets.

Great Mosque of Xi’an

The Great Mosque of Xi’an, located near the Drum Tower (Gu Lou) on Huajue Lane of Xi’an Shaanxi province, China, is one of the oldest and most renowned mosques in the country. It was first built in the Tang Dynasty (reign of Emperor Xuanzong, 685-762), and renovated in later periods (especially during the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the Mind Dynasty). It remains a popular tourist site of Xi’an, and is still used by Chinese Muslims (mainly the Hui people) today as a place of worship. Unlike most mosques in Middle Eastern of Arab countries, the Great Mosque of Xi’an is completely Chinese in its construction and architectural style, except for some Arabic lettering and decorations, for the mosque has neither domes nor traditional-style minarets.

Hassan II Mosque

The Hassan II Mosque is a mosque located in Casablanca, Morocco. Designed by the French architect Michael Pinseau and built by Bouygues, it is the second largest in the world (after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca). It stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers. A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque’s courtyard. Their minaret is the world’s tallest at 210 meters (689 ft).

Built on reclaimed land, almost half of the surface of the mosque lies over the Atlantic water. This was inspired by the verse of the Qur’an that states “the throne of God was built on the water”. Part of floor of this facility is glass so worshippers can kneel directly over the sea: above, spotlights sine at night from the top of minaret toward Mecca.