Masjid Al Abrar, Beruwala
Al Abrar Mosque (), is a mosque in Beruwala, Sri Lanka, which is claimed to be the first and the oldest mosque in the country. The mosque purportedly dates back to 920 AD, built by Arab merchants who arrived here to trade with locals in spices, ginger and steel en route to China. The mosque, fronted by a large pond, has undergone several extensive reconstructions since it was first built, with little attention paid to preserve any historical aspects of the structure. In 1893 the roof was supported by large round pillars, which were demolished in 1986 when the mosque went through a significant refurbishment and expansion, under the guidance and supervision of Abdul Bakeer Markar, the local member of parliament, representing Beruwala, who later went on to become the Speaker of the Parliament and the first Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, gov ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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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's Major religious groups, second-largest religious population after Christians. Muslims believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a Fitra, primordial faith that was revealed many times through earlier Prophets and messengers in Islam, prophets and messengers, including Adam in Islam, Adam, Noah in Islam, Noah, Abraham in Islam, Abraham, Moses in Islam, Moses, and Jesus in Islam, Jesus. Muslims consider the Quran to be the verbatim word of God in Islam, God and the unaltered, final revelation. Alongside the Quran, Muslims also believe in previous Islamic holy books, revelations, such as the Torah in Islam, Tawrat (the Torah), the Zabur (Psalms), and the Gospel in Islam, Injil (Gospel). They believe that Muhammad in Islam ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mosque
A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple places of prayer for the early Muslims, and may have been open spaces rather than elaborate buildings. In the first stage of Islamic architecture (650–750 CE), early mosques comprised open and closed covered spaces enclosed by walls, often with minarets, from which the Adhan, Islamic call to prayer was issued on a daily basis. It is typical of mosque buildings to have a special ornamental niche (a ''mihrab'') set into the wall in the direction of the city of Mecca (the ''qibla''), which Muslims must face during prayer, as well as a facility for ritual cleansing (''wudu''). The pulpit (''minbar''), from which public sermons (''khutbah'') are delivered on the event of Friday prayer, was, in earlier times, characteristic of the central ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Beruwala
Beruwala ( Sinhala:බේරුවල Tamil: பேருவளை) is a large town in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. The town covers a total area of approximately and is located on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka, south of Colombo. Etymology The name Beruwala is derived from the Sinhalese word for the place where the sail is lowered. It marks the spot for the first Muslim settlement on the island, established by a Somali Sheikh Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn. The town was originally named Berbereen in honour and respect of the Somali Shaikh. The Chinese also traded here and Beruwala was known to them as Piehlo-li. History The first Muslim settlement of Sri Lanka was in Beruwala which is situated in the Western coastal area of the Island. Beruwala was named "Berbereen" in the past in honor of Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn who is also known as Shaykh Abu Barakat al Barbari, a Somali Muslim scholar and a traveler who founded the city ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Abdul Bakeer Markar
Deshamanya Marhoom Al Haj Mohammed Abdul Bakeer Markar (12 May 1917 – 10 September 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician and civil servant. He was the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and Governor of the Southern Province. Early life and education Bakeer Markar was born on 12 May 1917 in "Hakeem Villa" at Maradana, Beruwala. His father Hakeem Alia Marikkar Mohomed Marikkar was a successful businessman while practicing Ayurvedic medicine and his mother was Rahila Umma Marikkar. His family traced its roots to one Sheik Jamaluddeen-Al-Maghdoomi, an Arab settler who settled down in the coastal town of Beruwala. The young Bakeer Markar started his education at the local girls school in Beruwala before moving to Colombo at the age of seven to study at the St. Sebastian's School in Hulftsdorp. He then for his secondary education entered Zahira College, Colombo which was then under T. B. Jayah. At Zahira College he was the editor of the college magazine, president of the Musli ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Beruwala Electoral District
Beruwala electoral district was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between March 1960 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Beruwala in Kalutara District, Western Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...s. Beruwala electoral district was replaced by the Kalutara multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections. Members of Parliament Key Elections 1960 (March) Parliamentary General Election Results of the 4th parliamentary election held on 19 March 1960: 1960 (July) Parlia ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Speaker Of The Parliament Of Sri Lanka
The Speaker of the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the presiding officer of the chamber. The Speaker fulfills a number of important functions in relation to the operation of the House, which is based upon the British Westminster parliamentary system. The speaker is second in the Sri Lankan presidential line of succession, after the prime minister. Origins In 1931 under the Donoughmore Constitution the State Council of Ceylon was established and in it the first office of a Speaker of a legislative body was created as the Speaker of the State Council. In 1947, according to the recommendations of the Soulbury Commission the State Council was dissolved and a Parliament was established in the Westminster model with an upper house, the Senate and the House of Representatives. While the head of the President of the Senate became the head of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives became the presiding officer of the House of Rep ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Provincial Governors Of Sri Lanka
A Governor of a Province in Sri Lanka, is the head of the provincial council and representative of the President of Sri Lanka in the province. Established in 1987, under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka and deriving its powers from the ''Provincial Council Act No 47 of 1987'', a governor exercises executive power in respect of subjects devolved to provincial council. Appointment The Governor is appointed by the President for a period of five years and holds the position at the pleasure of the President. Powers Provincial council powers *Governor may address, summon, prorogue and dissolve the provincial council. *Governor may appoint as Chief Minister, who would be the leader of the political party that commands the majority of the provincial council and the other four Ministers of the Board of Ministers. *Governor may excises the functions of the provincial council in its absence. Administrative powers *Administration of the Provincial Council Fund and Eme ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Southern Province, Sri Lanka
The Southern Province ( ''Dakuṇu Paḷāta'', ''Theṉ Mākāṇam'') of Sri Lanka is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the country. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did not have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. It is the 7th largest province by area and is home to 2.5 million people, the 3rd most populated province. The province is bordered by Sabaragamuwa Province and Uva Province to the North, Eastern Province to the Northeast, Western Province to the Northwest and the Indian Ocean to the South, West and East. The Province's capital is Galle. The Southern Province is a geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota. Subsistence farming and fishing is the main source of income for the vast majority of the people of this region. Government School education is primarily handled by thSouthe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Daily News (Sri Lanka)
The ''Daily News'' is an English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka. It is now published by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Lake House), a government-owned corporation. The newspaper commenced publishing on 3 January 1918. D. R. Wijewardena was its founder. The present-day newspaper is published as a broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of in height. Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper ..., with photographs printed both in color and black and white. Weekday printings include the main section, containing news on national affairs, international affairs, business, political analysis, sports, editorials and opinions. Every Thursday issue a free supplement in a tabloid paper called "Wisdom". In addition, the ''Daily News'' also provides '' The Sri Lanka Gazette'' as a supplement on every Friday. The ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sri Lankan Rupee
The Sri Lankan rupee (, ; Currency symbol, symbol: ₨ in English, රු in Sinhala, ௹ in Tamil; ISO 4217, ISO code: LKR), known until 1972 as the Ceylon rupee, is the currency of Sri Lanka. It is subdivided into 100 cent (currency), cents (, ), but cents are rarely seen in circulation due to their low value. It is issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The abbreviation ''Re'' (singular) and ''Rs'' (plural) is generally used, the World Bank suggests SL Rs as a fully disambiguating abbreviation for distinction from other currencies named "rupee". History pound sterling, Sterling became Ceylon's official currency in 1825, replacing the Ceylonese rixdollar at a rate of £1 = rixdollars, and British silver coins were made legal tender. Treasury notes denominated in sterling were issued in 1827, replacing the earlier rixdollar notes. Rixdollar notes not presented for exchange were demonetized in June 1831. The Indian rupee was made Ceylon's standard coin on 26 September 18 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sri Lanka Post
The Department of Posts, functioning under the brand name Sri Lanka Post ( Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා තැපැල් ''Shri Lanka Tæpæl''), is a government operated postal system in Sri Lanka. The postal headquarters is the General Post Office which is located in Colombo. The department itself comes under the purview of the Ministry of Information and Mass Media. It was formerly known as the ''Ceylon Post and Telecommunications Department'' and is one of the oldest Government departments in existence today. The head of the Sri Lanka Post is the Postmaster General, currently Ranjith Ariyaratne. Assisting in administration there is a deputy Postmaster General in every province. Sri Lanka Post employs more than 22,000 employees in various positions to staff and support the 4738 post offices across the country. History Sri Lanka Post has a long history of 222 years, dating back to 1798, when the colonial Dutch rulers started five post offices in the Maritime Distri ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Imthiaz Bakeer Markar
Imthiaz Bakeer Markar ( (born 8 August 1953) is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. He is a Member of Parliament from the National List of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, he was a former Cabinet Minister of Media, Postal and Telecommunications from 2001 to 2004; State Minister of Housing from 1989 to 1993 and member of the parliament from the Kalutara District from 1989 to 2004. Bakeer Markar had served as the former chairman of the National Media Centre and the former vice president of the United National Party (UNP). Personal life Imthiaz was born on 8 August 1953 in Beruwala, Sri Lanka as the only child of the family. His father Mohammed Abdul Bakeer Markar, was a politician who later served as the 12th Parliamentary Speaker from 1978 to 1983 and the governor of the Southern Province from 1988 to 1993. His mother Sithy Kadija Muhammad Raffai was a housewife. His ancestry can be traced to Sheik Jamaluddeen-Al-Maghdoomi, Arab settler who settled down in Beruwala. His grandfather ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |