The Al-Fateh Mosque, also known as the Al-Fateh Islamic Center and as the Al Fateh Grand Mosque, () is a large

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 si ...

, located in

Manama Manama ( ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and List of cities in Bahrain, largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 297,502 as of 2012. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is ...

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

. Encompassing , with the capacity to accommodate over 7,000 worshippers at a time, it was one of the largest mosques in the world. The mosque was built by the late Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa in 1987 and was named in honour of Ahmed Al Fateh. In 2006, Al-Fateh became the site of the National Library of Bahrain.

Overview

The mosque was the largest place of worship in Bahrain. It is located next to the Al Fateh Highway in Juffair, which is a suburban neighborhood of Manama. The huge

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

, built on top of the Al-Fateh Mosque, was constructed entirely of

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...

and was the world's largest fiberglass dome. The flooring is Italian marble and the chandelier was from Austria. The doors were made of

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. There is Kufic calligraphy throughout the mosque.

Library

The library of Ahmed Al-Fateh Islamic Center has approximately 7,000 books, some as old as 100 years or more. These include copies of the books of the teachings of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

or what is referred to as the books of

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

, the Global Arabic Encyclopedia, the Encyclopedia of

Islamic Jurisprudence ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

Al-Azhar Al-Azhar Mosque (), known in Egypt simply as al-Azhar, is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt in the historic Islamic core of the city. Commissioned as the new capital of the Fatimid Caliphate in 970, it was the first mosque established in a city that ...

journals which have been printed more than a hundred years ago, as well as numerous periodicals and magazines.

Tourism

Besides being a place of worship, the mosque is one of the premier tourist attractions in Bahrain. It is open from 9am to 4pm and tours are conducted in a variety of languages including English, French, Filipino, Russian and many other languages, special arrangements are encouraged for smooth sailing. The mosque is open to visitors and tourists on all Fridays.

Gallery

MainPrayerHallAlFatehMosque-sadoonsphotography.jpg, Main Prayer Hall from a decent height Main Prayer Hall.jpg, Main Prayer Hall Main Al-Fateh Mosque Entrance, Bahrain.jpg, Entering thru Main Gate, Open Area of the mosque MainEntrance GateAlFatehMosque-sadoonsphotography.jpg, Main Gate to enter the Mosque MainPrayerHallFromMehrabofAlFatehMosque.jpg, Main Prayer Hall standing at the Mehrab Side Bahrain - The Grand Mosque (4499775733).jpg, Interior of the mosque

References

External links