The Grand Mosque ( ar, 1=مسجد دبي الكبير) is a

mosque 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, ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

Emirate of Dubai The Emirate of Dubai ( ar, إمارة دبيّ; pr. ) is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It is the most populous emirate of the United Arab Emirates, UAE. The capital of the emirate is the eponymous city, Dubai. Geograp ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. It is located between the textile

souk A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, such as in the W ...

and the

Dubai Museum Dubai Museum ( ar, متحف دبي) is the main museum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is located in the Al Fahidi Fort ( ar, حصن الفهيدي), built in 1787 and is the oldest existing building in Dubai. The museum was opened by the Rul ...

close to a small stream in the

Bur Dubai Bur Dubai (in Arabic: بر دبي) is a historic district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, located on the western side of the Dubai Creek. The name literally translates to ''Mainland Dubai'', a reference to the traditional separation of the Bur D ...

area. Originally built in 1900, demolished and built again in 1960, it then underwent a further rebuilding in 1998 (the present one). It now holds up to 1,200 worshippers. Non-Muslims are permitted to enter the Mosque daily from Sunday to Thursday from 9 AM to 11:30 AM for free tours. The mosque is the hub of Dubai's religious and cultural life.

History

The mosque was originally a school devoted to study of the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard 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 from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

, known as a ''

kuttab A kuttab ( ar, كُتَّاب ''kuttāb'', plural: ''kataatiib'', ) or maktab ( ar, مَكْتَب) is a type of elementary school in the Muslim world. Though the ''kuttab'' was primarily used for teaching children in reading, writing, grammar, ...

'', which welcomed its first students in the year 1900 to learn the Qur'an by rote. This building was replaced by a new mosque on the same site in 1960, which in turn was itself rebuilt in 1998, closer in style to the original of 1900. This mosque is one of the largest in Dubai and is dominant edifice in the old city.

Architecture

The tallest feature of the mosque is the

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 ...

, the tallest in Dubai, which resembles a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

. The sandy-grey walls are generally unadorned, but there is a large Quranic inscription inlaid above the five columns of the entrance facade, which sit at the top of a short flight of six steps. The 45 small and nine larger domes with the tall minaret cover the roof of the Grand Mosque. The wooden windows are fitted with hand-made stained glass and blend well with the old town of Bur Dubai, and its minaret is designed in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

n architectural style. Visitors to the mosque are advised to dress conservatively. The mosque has a capacity of up to 1,200 worshippers. Nearest metro station is Al Fahidi.

References

{{Dubai topics Mosques completed in 1998 Mosques in Dubai Mosques completed in 1900 Mosque buildings with domes

History

Architecture

See also

References