The conversion of non-Islamic places of worship into mosques occurred during the life of
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
and continued during subsequent
Islamic conquests
The early Muslim conquests or early Islamic conquests ( ar, الْفُتُوحَاتُ الإسْلَامِيَّة, ), also referred to as the Arab conquests, were initiated in the 7th century by Muhammad, the main Islamic prophet. He estab ...
and under historical Muslim rule.
Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...
s,
Jain Temples
A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings gen ...
,
Christian churches,
synagogues, and
Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...
fire temple
A fire temple, Agiary, Atashkadeh ( fa, آتشکده), Atashgah () or Dar-e Mehr () is the place of worship for the followers of Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran (Persia).
In the Zoroastrian religion, fire (see ''atar''), together wi ...
s have been converted into
mosques
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...
.
Several such mosques in the areas of former Muslim rule have since been reconverted or have become museums, including the
Parthenon in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and numerous mosques in Spain, such as
Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, etc. Conversion of non-Islamic buildings into mosques influenced distinctive regional styles of
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic ar ...
.
Qur'anic holy sites
Mecca
Before Muhammad, the
Kaaba
The Kaaba (, ), also spelled Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah ( ar, ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, lit=Honored Ka'bah, links=no, translit=al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah), is a building at the c ...
and Mecca (referred to as
Bakkah
Bakkah ( ar, بَكَّةُ ), is a place mentioned in ''sura'' 3 ( 'Āl 'Imrān), '' ayah'' 96 of the Qur'an, a verse sometimes translated as: " Verily the first House set apart unto mankind was that at Bakkah, blest, and a guidance unto the wo ...
in the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
), were revered as a sacred sanctuary and was a site of pilgrimage. At the time of
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
(AD 570–632), his tribe the
Quraysh
The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qur ...
was in charge of the Kaʿaba, which was at that time a shrine containing hundreds of idols representing
Arabian tribal gods and other religious figures. Muhammad earned the enmity of his tribe by preaching the new religion of Islam. Early Muslims practiced, or attempted to practice, their rituals by the Ka'aba alongside polytheists, until they eventually left Mecca, driven out by escalating persecution. The aborted first pilgrimage, which was prevented by the Quraysh, who promised to allow it the following year in the Hudaybiyah treaty, did not also entail the prevention of continuing practices by polytheists. However, before the second pilgrimage season, allies of the Quraysh violated the treaty, allowing the Muslims to return as conquerors rather than guests. Henceforth, the Kaʿaba was to be dedicated to the worship of the one God alone, and the
idols were destroyed. The Black Stone (
al-Hajar-ul-Aswad) at the Kaʿaba was a special object of veneration at the site. According to some traditions the text of
seven or ten especially honoured poems were suspended around the Kaʿaba.
Jerusalem
Upon the capture of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, it is commonly reported that
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
, the
Commander of the Faithful
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
, refused to pray in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, hy, Սուրբ Հարության տաճար, la, Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri, am, የቅዱስ መቃብር ቤተክርስቲያን, he, כנסיית הקבר, ar, كنيسة القيامة is a church i ...
in spite of a treaty. The architecturally similar
Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock ( ar, قبة الصخرة, Qubbat aṣ-Ṣakhra) is an Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, a site also known to Muslims as the ''al-Haram al-Sharif'' or the Al-Aqsa Compound. Its initial ...
was built on the
Temple Mount
The Temple Mount ( hbo, הַר הַבַּיִת, translit=Har haBayīt, label=Hebrew, lit=Mount of the House f the Holy}), also known as al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, lit. 'The Noble Sanctuary'), al-Aqsa Mosque compoun ...
, which was an abandoned and disused area since 70 AD in the 7th century but which had previously been the site of the Jewish
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusa ...
, the most sacred site in Judaism. Umar initially built there a small prayer house which laid the foundation for the later construction of the
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque (, ), also known as Jami' Al-Aqsa () or as the Qibli Mosque ( ar, المصلى القبلي, translit=al-Muṣallā al-Qiblī, label=none), and also is a congregational mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situa ...
by the
Umayyads Umayyads may refer to:
*Umayyad dynasty, a Muslim ruling family of the Caliphate (661–750) and in Spain (756–1031)
*Umayyad Caliphate (661–750)
:*Emirate of Córdoba (756–929)
:*Caliphate of Córdoba
The Caliphate of Córdoba ( ar, خ ...
.
Conversion of church buildings
Europe
Albania
*The Catholic
church of Saint Nicholas (''Shën Nikollë'') was turned into a mosque. After being destroyed in the Communist 1967 anti-religious campaign, the site was turned into an open air mausoleum.
*
The church of St Stephen in
Shkodër
Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...
was converted into a mosque in 1479 after the city was conquered by the Ottomans.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
The
Fethija Mosque (since 1592) of Bihać was a Catholic church devoted to Saint Anthony of Padua (1266).
Cyprus
Following the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, a number of Christian churches (especially the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
ones) were converted into mosques. A relatively significant surge in church-to-mosque conversion followed the 1974
Turkish Invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of Cypriot intercommunal violence, intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots, Greek and Turkish ...
. Many of the Orthodox churches in
Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, isl ...
have been converted, and many are still in the process of becoming mosques.
* The Catholic St. Nicholas Cathedral in
Famagusta
Famagusta ( , ; el, Αμμόχωστος, Ammóchostos, ; tr, Gazimağusa or ) is a city on the east coast of Geography of Cyprus, Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia District, Nicosia and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. Duri ...
was converted by the Ottoman Turks into
Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque
The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque ( tr, Lala Mustafa Paşa Camii), originally known as the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas and later as the Saint Sophia (Ayasofya) Mosque of Mağusa, is the largest medieval building in Famagusta, Cyprus. Built between 12 ...
in 1571; remains in use as mosque today.
* St. Sophia Catholic Cathedral in
Nicosia
Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
was converted by the Ottoman Turks into the
Selimiye Mosque, Nicosia; remains in use as mosque today.
* St. Catherine Catholic church in Nicosia was converted by the Ottoman Turks into the
Haydar Pasha Mosque
Haydar Pasha Mosque ( gr, Χαϊντάρ-πασά τζαμί ''Chaintár-pasa Tzamí'', tr, Haydarpaşa Camii), formerly St. Catherine's Church, is a historic mosque in North Nicosia. It is the most important Gothic building in Nicosia after Ay ...
; remains in use as a mosque today.
France
During the
Ottoman wintering in Toulon
The Ottoman wintering in Toulon occurred during the winter of 1543–44, following the Franco-Ottoman Siege of Nice, as part of the combined operations under the Franco-Ottoman alliance.
Wintering in Toulon
The Ottomans were offered by Franci ...
(1543–44), the
Toulon Cathedral
Toulon Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Seds de Toulon; Notre-Dame-de-la-Sède de Toulon), also known as Sainte-Marie-Majeure, is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in Toulon, in the Var (department), Var departmen ...
was temporarily used as a mosque for the 30,000 members of the crew of the Ottoman fleet.
Greece
Numerous orthodox churches were converted to mosques during the Ottoman period in Greece. Among them:
* The
Church of the Acheiropoietos
The Church of the Acheiropoietos ( el, ) is a 5th-century Byzantine church in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia. It is located in the city's centre, at Agias Sofias street opposite Makedonomachon square. Because of its o ...
(Eski Mosque), the
Church of Hosios David (Suluca or Murad Mosque), the
Church of Prophet Elijah (Saraylı Mosque), the
Church of Saint Catherine (Yakup Pasha Mosque), the
Church of Saint Panteleimon (Ishakiye Mosque), the
Church of Holy Apostles (Soğuksu Mosque), the Church of
Hagios Demetrios
The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios ( el, Άγιος Δημήτριος), is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki (in Central Macedonia, Greece), dating from a time when it was the sec ...
(Kasımiye Mosque), the Church of
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...
(Ayasofya Mosque), the
Church of Panagia Chalkeon
The Church of Panagia Chalkeon ( el, ) is an 11th-century Byzantine church in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. The church's well-preserved Byzantine architecture and testimony to the importance of Thessaloniki in early and medieval Chris ...
(Kazancilar Mosque), the church of
Taxiarches (İki Şerefiye Mosque), the
Rotonda of
Galerius
Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus (; 258 – May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. During his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sasanian Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the D ...
(Mosque of Suleyman Hortaji Effendi) in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
.
* The
Cathedral church of Veria (Hünkar Mosque) and the Church of Saint Paul in
Veria (
Medrese Mosque
The Medrese Mosque ( el, Μενδρεσέ Τζαμί) is an Ottoman mosque in the northern Greek city of Veria.
The mosque occupies the site of the Byzantine church of St. Paul, on the southern part of the city, outside the city wall. After they ...
).
* The Church of Saint John in
Ioannina
Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...
, destroyed by the Ottomans and the
Aslan Pasha Mosque
The Aslan Pasha Mosque ( el, τζαμί Ασλάν Πασά) is an Ottoman-built mosque in the city of Ioannina, Greece. The mosque was built in 1618 in the city's castle, replacing the Church of Saint John, which was torn down after the failed ...
was built in its place.
* The
Theotokos Kosmosoteira
The Theotokos Kosmosoteira ( el, Θεοτόκος η Κοσμοσώτειρα, , Theotokos the World-Saviour) is a Greek Orthodox monastery in Feres, Evros Prefecture, Greece. It was built around 1152 by the ''sebastokrator'' Isaac Komnenos, a s ...
monastery in
Feres was converted into a mosque in the mid-14th century.
* The original Pantocrator (Kursum Mosque) church building in
Patras
)
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 =
, demographics1_info2 =
, timezone1 = EET
, utc_offset1 = +2
, ...
.
* The gothic-style
Panagia tou Kastrou
Panagia tou Kastrou ( el, Παναγία του Κάστρου, Panagía tou Kástrou, Panagia of the Castle), also known as Our Lady of the Castle is a medieval Greek Orthodox church in the city of Rhodes, in Rhodes, Greece. It is located inside ...
(Enderun Mosque), the
Holy Trinity church in Knights Avenue (Khan Zade Mosque) in
Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
.
* The
Brontochion Monastery
Brontochion Monastery ( el, Βροντόχιον, Μονή Βροντοχίου) is a monastery in Mystras, Greece.
The abbot Pachomius incorporated into it the small church of the Hodegetria, or "Aphentikon", as the monastery's catholicon. The c ...
, the
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...
(Ayasofya Mosque), and
Panagia Hodegetria (Fethiye Mosque) churches in
Laconia
Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word ''laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...
.
* The
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...
(Bey Mosque) in
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
.
*
Parthenon in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
: Some time before the close of the fifteenth century, the Parthenon became a mosque. Before that the Parthenon had been a
Greek Orthodox
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...
church.
* The
Fethiye Mosque
Fethiye () is a city and district of Muğla Province in the Aegean Region of Turkey. It is one of the prominent tourist destinations in the Turkish Riviera. In 2019 its population was 162,686.
History
Fethiye was formerly known as Makri (). ...
in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
was built on top of a
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
. It is currently an exhibition centre.
* The
church of Saint Nicholas (Hünkar Mosque) was originally a Roman Catholic church before it was converted into a mosque.
Hungary
Following the Ottoman conquest of the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
, a number of Christian churches were converted into mosques. Those that survived the
era of Ottoman rule, were later reconverted into churches after the
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...
.
*
Church of Our Lady of Buda, converted into Eski Djami immediately after the capture of Buda in 1541, reconverted in 1686.
* Church of Mary Magdalene, Buda, converted into Fethiye Djami c. 1602, reconverted in 1686.
* The Franciscan Church of St John the Baptist in Buda, converted into Pasha Djami, destroyed in 1686.
Spain
A Catholic Christian church dedicated to
Saint Vincent of Lérins
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
, was built by the Visigoths in
Córdoba; during the reign of
Abd al-Rahman I, it was converted into a mosque.
In the time of the
Reconquista
The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...
,
Christian rule was reestablished and the building became a church once again, the
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption.
Ukraine
After the Ottomans conquered
Mangup, the capital of
Principality of Theodoro
The Principality of Theodoro ( el, Αὐθεντία πόλεως Θεοδωροῦς καὶ παραθαλασσίας), also known as Gothia ( el, Γοτθία) or the Principality of Theodoro-Mangup, was a Greek principality in the southern pa ...
, a prayer for the Sultan recited in one of the churches which converted into a mosque, and according to Turkish authors "the house of the infidel became the house of Islam."
Middle East and North Africa
Algeria
Cathedrals and churches were converted into mosques in the mid-20th century include:
*
St. Philip Cathedral in
Algiers, Algeria (originally a mosque, converted to a church in 1845, reconverted to the
Ketchaoua Mosque
The Ketchaoua Mosque ( ar, جامع كتشاوة, ''Djamaa Ketchaoua'') is a mosque in the city of Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It was built during the Ottoman rule in the 17th century and is located at the foot of the Casbah of Algiers, whic ...
in 1962)
*
Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Sept-Douleurs in
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine ( ar, قسنطينة '), also spelled Qacentina or Kasantina, is the capital of Constantine Province in northeastern Algeria. During Roman Empire, Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed "Constantina" in honor of emperor Const ...
Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria converted a number of Christian churches into mosques after they
occupied Mosul in 2014. The churches were restored into its original functions after Mosul was
liberated in 2017.
* Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Ephraim in
Mosul, Iraq
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...
; converted to the Mosque of the Mujahideen
* Chaldean Church of St. Joseph in
Mosul, Iraq
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...
Israel and
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The I ...
*
Church of Saint James Intercisus
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
in the
Old City of Jerusalem
The Old City of Jerusalem ( he, הָעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה, translit=ha-ir ha-atiqah; ar, البلدة القديمة, translit=al-Balda al-Qadimah; ) is a walled area in East Jerusalem.
The Old City is traditionally divided into ...
, transformed into
Al-Yaqoubi Mosque
*
Templum Domini
The ''Templum Domini'' (Vulgate translation of Hebrew: "Temple of the Lord") was the name attributed by the Crusaders to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
It became an important symbol of Jerusalem, depicted on coins minted under the Catholic ...
(
Dome of the Ascension
The Dome of the Ascension ( ar, قبة المعراج ) is a small Islamic free-standing domed structure built by the Umayyads that stands just north the Dome of the Rock (Arabic: قبة الصخرة Qubbat aṣ-Ṣakhra) on the al-Aqsa comp ...
,
Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock ( ar, قبة الصخرة, Qubbat aṣ-Ṣakhra) is an Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, a site also known to Muslims as the ''al-Haram al-Sharif'' or the Al-Aqsa Compound. Its initial ...
)
*
Cave of the Patriarchs
* Tombs of Nathan and Gad in
Halhoul, transformed into Mosque of Prophet
Yunus
Yunus ibn Matta ( ar, يُونُس ٱبْن مَتّىٰ, Yūnus ibn Mattā) is a prophet and messenger of God (Allah). Yunus is traditionally viewed as highly important in Islam as a prophet who was faithful to God and delivered his messages. Y ...
.
The Herodian shrine of the
Cave of the Patriarchs in
Hebron
Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after East J ...
, the second most holy site in Judaism, was converted into a church during the Crusades before being turned into a mosque in 1266 and henceforth banned to Jews and Christians. Part of it was restored as a synagogue by
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
after 1967. Other sites in Hebron have undergone Islamification. The
Tomb of Jesse and Ruth
, alternate_name = Mashhad al-Arba’in (Sanctuary of the Forty), later D(a)ir al-Arba'in (Mosque of the Forty itnesses
, image = Tomb of Ruth and Jesse Hevron 06.jpg
, alt=
, caption=
, map_type=
, map_alt=
, map_size = 220
, ...
became the Church of the Forty Martyrs, which then became the Tomb of Isai and later
Deir Al Arba'een
Deir Al Arba'een ( ar, دير الأربعين, lit=Sanctuary of the Forty), also Masha'ad Al Arba'een, is a ruined building approximately 300 meters to the West of the Old City of Hebron. It is considered the most notable ancient structure on Tel ...
.
Lebanon
*
Al-Omari Grand Mosque
Al-Omari Grand Mosque ( ar, 1=المسجد العمري الكبير) is a mosque in Beirut Central District, Lebanon.
Overview
The Al-Omari Grand Mosque was originally the Church of Saint John and was built by the crusaders in the 12th century. ...
in
Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...
; built as the Church of St. John the Baptist by the
Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...
; converted to mosque in 1291.
Libya
Cathedrals and churches were converted into mosques in the mid-20th century include:
*
Tripoli Cathedral in
Tripoli, Libya
Tripoli (; ar, طرابلس الغرب, translit= Ṭarābulus al-Gharb , translation=Western Tripoli) is the capital and largest city of Libya, with a population of about 1.1 million people in 2019. It is located in the northwest of Libya o ...
(converted to
Maidan al Jazair Square Mosque)
Morocco
*
Grand Mosque of Tangier
The Grand Mosque of Tangier is the historic main mosque (Friday mosque) of Tangier, Morocco, located in the city's old medina. While the design of the current mosque dates from the early 19th century during the Alaouite period, the same site has b ...
; built on a formerly Roman pagan and then Roman Christian site.
Syria
*The
Umayyad Mosque in
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
; built on the site of a Christian basilica dedicated to
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
(
Yahya), which was earlier, a
Roman Pagan
Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule.
The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, ...
temple of Jupiter.
*
Great Mosque of al-Nuri in
Homs
Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...
; initially a pagan temple for the
sun god
A solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The ...
("
El-Gabal
Elagabalus (), Aelagabalus, Heliogabalus, () or simply Elagabal (Aramaic: 𐡁𐡋𐡄𐡂𐡀𐡋 ''ʾĕlāhgabāl'' or 𐡁𐡋𐡄𐡀𐡂𐡀𐡋 ''ʾĕlāhaʾgabāl''; Arabic: إله الجبل ''Ilah al-Jabal'', "mountain god") ...
"), then converted into a church dedicated to
Saint John the Baptist
*
Great Mosque of Hama
The Great Mosque of Hama ( ar, جَامِع حَمَاة ٱلْكَبِير, Jāmiʿ Ḥamāt al-Kabīr), is a mosque in Hama, Syria. It is located about west of the citadel. Built in the 8th century CE, it was heavily damaged in a 1982 uprising, ...
; a temple to worship the Roman god
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...
, later it became a church during the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
era
*
Great Mosque of Aleppo
The Great Mosque of Aleppo ( ar, جَـامِـع حَـلَـب الْـكَـبِـيْـر, ''Jāmi‘ Ḥalab al-Kabīr'') is the largest and one of the oldest mosques in the city of Aleppo, Syria. It is located in al-Jalloum district of the A ...
; the
agora
The agora (; grc, ἀγορά, romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Greek city-states. It is the best representation of a city-state's response to accommodate the social and political order of t ...
of the
Hellenistic
In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
period, which later became the garden for the Cathedral of
Saint Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
*The mosque of
Job
Work or labor (or labour in British English) is intentional activity people perform to support the needs and wants of themselves, others, or a wider community. In the context of economics, work can be viewed as the human activity that contr ...
in
Al-Shaykh Saad
Al-Shaykh Saad ( ar, الشيخ سعد ''ash-Shaykh Saʿad''; also Romanized ''Sheikh Saad''), historically also called Karnaim and Dair Ayyub ("Monastery of Job"), is a town in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, locat ...
,
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, was previously a church of Job.
Turkey
Istanbul
=Hagia Sophia
=
Following the Ottoman conquest of Anatolia, virtually all of the churches of Istanbul were converted into mosques except the
Church of Saint Mary of the Mongols
Saint Mary of the Mongols (full name in Greek: Θεοτόκος Παναγιώτισσα (pr. ''Theotókos Panaghiótissa'', lit. "All-Holy Theotokos") or Παναγία Μουχλιώτισσα (pr. ''Panaghía Muchliótissa''); Turkish name: ' ...
.
*
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...
(from the , "
Holy Wisdom"; la , Sancta Sophia or ''Sancta Sapientia''; tr, Ayasofya) was the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
of
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
in the
state church of the Roman Empire
Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire when Emperor Theodosius I issued the Edict of Thessalonica in 380, which recognized the catholic orthodoxy of Nicene Christians in the Great Church as the Roman Empire's state religion. ...
and the seat of the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...
's
Patriarchate. After 1453 it became a mosque, and since 1931 it has been a museum in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the Orthodox cathedral of the imperial capital, except between 1204 and 1261, when it became the Roman Catholic cathedral under the
Latin Patriarch of Constantinople
The Latin Patriarchate of Constantinople was an office established as a result of the Fourth Crusade and its conquest of Constantinople in 1204. It was a Roman Catholic replacement for the Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ...
of the Western Crusader-established
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzanti ...
. In 1453,
Constantinople was conquered by the
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
under Sultan
Mehmed II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
, who subsequently ordered the building converted into a mosque.
The bells, altar,
iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
,
ambo
Ambo may refer to:
Places
* Ambo, Kiribati
* Ambo Province, Huanuco Region, Peru
** Ambo District
** Ambo, Peru, capital of Ambo District
* Ambo Town, a town in Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
** Ambo, Ethiopia, a capital of West Shewa Zone ...
and sacrificial vessels were removed and many of the
mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
s were plastered over.
Islamic features – such as the
mihrab
Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...
,
minbar
A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...
, and four
minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
s – were added while in the possession of the Ottomans. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931, when it was
secularised
In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...
. It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935. On July 10, 2020, the decision of the Council of Ministers to transform it into a museum was canceled by Council of State and the Turkish President Erdoğan signed a decree annulling the Hagia Sophia's museum status, reverting it to a mosque.
=Other churches
=
Rest of Turkey
Elsewhere in Turkey numerous churches were converted into mosques, including:
=Orthodox
=
=Armenian Apostolic
=
Hundreds of Armenian Churches were converted into Mosques in Turkey and Azerbaijan. Thousands were destroyed after
Armenian Genocide in 1915
*
Cathedral of Kars
*
Cathedral of Ani
*
Liberation Mosque
Liberation Mosque ( tr, Kurtuluş Camii), formerly the St. Mary's Cathedral or Holy Mother of God Church ( hy, Սուրբ Աստուածածին Եկեղեցի, Romanized as ), is located in the Tepebaşı district of Gaziantep in Turkey. It was bu ...
, ex St Mary's Church Cathedral,
Gaziantep
Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approximat ...
Conversion of Hindu temples
Conversion of Zoroastrian fire temples
Iran
After the
Muslim conquest of Persia
The Muslim conquest of Persia, also known as the Arab conquest of Iran, was carried out by the Rashidun Caliphate from 633 to 654 AD and led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire as well as the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion.
Th ...
,
Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...
fire temples, with their four axial arch openings, were usually turned into mosques simply by setting a ''
mihrab
Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...
'' (prayer niche) on the place of the arch nearest to ''
qibla
The qibla ( ar, قِبْلَة, links=no, lit=direction, translit=qiblah) is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the s ...
'' (the direction of Mecca). This practice is described by numerous Muslim sources; however, the archaeological evidence confirming it is still scarce. Zoroastrian temples converted into mosques in such a manner could be found in
Bukhara
Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region.
People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...
, as well as in and near
Istakhr and other Iranian cities,
such as:
Tarikhaneh Temple
The Tarikhaneh Mosque ( fa, مسجد تاریخانه), is a Sassanid-era monument located on the southern limit of the present day city of Damghan, Iran.
History
This temple was in the pre-Islamic place of worship of the Zoroastrian and used it ...
,
Jameh Mosque of Qazvin
Jameh Mosque of Qazvin ( fa, مسجد جامع عتيق قزوین – ''Masjid-e-Jameh Atiq Qazvin'') is one of the oldest mosques in Iran, and is the grand, congregational mosque (jameh mosque) of Qazvin, in Qazvin Province, Iran.
Specificati ...
,
Heidarieh Mosque of Qazvin,
Jameh Mosque of Isfahan,
Jameh Mosque of Kashan
The Jameh mosque of Kashan is the oldest historical structure in Kashan, Iran. Its only brick minaret is located in its southeastern corner. On the bottom part of the minaret, there is a kufic inscription made by embossed brick. On the inscription, ...
,
Jameh Mosque of Ardestan,
Jameh Mosque of Yazd
The Jāmeh Mosque of Yazd ( fa, مسجد جامع یزد – ''Masjid-e-Jāmeh Yazd'') is the grand, congregational mosque ( Jāmeh) of Yazd city, within the Yazd Province of Iran. The mosque is depicted on the obverse of the Iranian 200 rials b ...
,
Jameh Mosque of Borujerd
Jameh ( fa, جمعه, also Romanized as Jamʿeh) is a village in Pian Rural District, in the Central District of Izeh County, Khuzestan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a c ...
,
Great Mosque of Herat
The Great Mosque of Herat (Pashto: د هرات لوی جومات ; prs, مسجد جامع هرات, translit=Masjid-i Jāmi‘-i Herāt) or "Jami Masjid of Herat", is a mosque in the city of Herat, in the Herat Province of north-western Afghanis ...
as well as
Bibi Shahr Banu Shrine
Bibi Shahrbanu Shrine ( fa, آرامگاه بیبیشهربانو) is a shrine located near Shahr-e Ray, a southern suburb of Tehran, Iran.
The shrine is located outside the present town on the slope of a small mountain range extending e ...
near
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
.
Influence on Islamic architecture
The conversion of non-Islamic religious buildings into mosques during the first centuries of Islam played a major role in the development of Islamic architectural styles. Distinct regional styles of mosque design, which have come to be known by such names as Arab, Persian, Andalusian, and others, commonly reflected the external and internal stylistic elements of churches and other temples characteristic for that region.
See also
References
{{Authority control
History of Hinduism
History of Sikhism
History of Zoroastrianism
Islamic rule in the Indian subcontinent
Hinduism-related lists
Religious buildings and structures converted to a different religion