Musjids of the World Series: 4

The Musjid serves as the focal point of any Muslim community and is the most important structure to Muslims.


The Great Friday Musjid of Chinguetti, Mauritania was built in the 13th or 14th century. Its minaret is the second oldest in continuous use in the Muslim world. It has split stone masonry, a square minaret tower, and no adornment. The Musjid and its minaret are the national emblem of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. In the 1970s the Musjid was restored through a UNESCO effort.


The Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Musjid, also known as the King Fahd Musjid is at the southern tip of Gibraltar, at Europa Point. It was a gift from King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and cost £5m. It was inaugurated in 1997 and contains a school, library, and lecture hall.


Hassan II Musjid, Casablanca, Morocco is the second largest in the world (after Masjid al-Haram in Makkah). It stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, with room for 25,000 worshippers. A further 80,000 can fit in the courtyard. Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210 metres. Built on reclaimed land, half of the surface of the Musjid lies over the Atlantic ocean. Part of the floor is glass so worshippers can kneel directly over the sea. It was inaugurated in 1993 and includes a heated floor, electric doors, and a sliding roof. The Musjid has Moorish influence and the architecture is similar to the Alhambra and Mezquita in Spain.

Mother Mosque of America, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA is the first permanent structure to be built specifically to serve as a Musjid in USA. It was built in 1934 and refurbished in 1991.


New York Mosque is the largest Muslim center of worship in New York City. Money for construction was donated by the governments of Libya, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It was opened in 1991.