Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque (), also known as the Grand Mosque of Riyadh or simply the Grand Mosque (), 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, ...

in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

, located adjacent to Qasr al-Hukm while it overlooks the

Deera Square __NOTOC__ Deera Square ( ar, ساحة الديرة) is a public space in Deera, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is also known as Justice Square, and derisively as Chop Chop Square by Western visitors. It is a former site of public executions, where th ...

. It was established during the reign of Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Saud, the founder and ''

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

'' of the

Second Saudi State The Emirate of Nejd or Imamate of Nejd was the Second Saudi State, existing between 1824 and 1891 in Nejd, the regions of Riyadh and Ha'il of what is now Saudi Arabia. Saudi rule was restored to central and eastern Arabia after the Emirate of D ...

and was later named after him. Seating 17,000 worshippers and measuring 16,800 m2, it is one of the largest mosques in

. The exterior and upper portion of the interior is primarily brown Arriyadh Limestone which appears golden when lit up at night. The lower portion of the interior is in white marble. The structure includes separate men's and women's libraries of 325-m2 each. The mosque is directly connected from the first floor to

Qasr Al-Hukm Palace Qasr ( ar, قصر, lit=palace/castle/fortress, plural ''qusur''), from Latin ''castrum'', may refer to: Individual ''qusur'' and places named after a ''qasr'' * * Particular types of ''qusur'' * Alcázar (cognate Spanish term; also ''Alcácer'' ...

via two bridges across Assafah Square.

History

A Grand Mosque existed on the site for decades but was rebuilt by the Arriyadh Development Authority and reopened in January 1993.

Architecture

The

minarets 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 generally ...

of the mosque previously featured a mix of Ottoman and

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

styles, with two rectangular sections topped by three rounded sections and a top section coming to a point with round shapes atop it. The courtyard porticos rose in a triangular with decor above. The minarets were however rebuilt in rectangular neo-

Najdi Najdi may refer to: *People of Najd * Najdi (surname) * Najdi Arabic, a variety of the Arabic language, * Najdi (sheep), a breed of sheep *Najdi! Najdi! ( mk, Најди!, meaning "Find!") is a search engine specialized in Republic of Macedonia ...

style, the courtyard completely resurfaced and the porticos are now a modernized version of their former shape.

References

External links

Getty Images for building
1993 establishments in Saudi Arabia Mosques completed in 1993 Mosques in Riyadh {{SaudiArabia-mosque-stub

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links