The word Minaret comes from the Arabic word manarah, meaning lighthouse. Its function is to be a beacon of hope & project the Muslim call to prayer (adhan). They come in diverse styles & varying forms.
Here are 24 magnificent Minarets across the world #JummaMubarak
A thread…
1/ Minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra, Iraq
Built by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil (reigned 847–861) around 850, it was probably the largest mosque in the world. The minaret is built in the shape of a cone, wrapped in a spiraling ramp that leads to the top.
2/ Minarets of Green Mosque, Turpan, China
Located in the center of the XinJiang province in an area known as the "Turpan Depression", the lowest & hottest place in China.
This a close up of the entrance and two central minarets to 'the green mosque'
3/ Minaret of Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco
It is the second largest functioning mosque in Africa. Its minaret is the world's second tallest minaret at 210 metres. Completed in 1993, it was designed by Michel Pinseau under the guidance of King Hassan II
4/ Minaret of Al-Zaytuna Mosque, Tunisia
Also known as Ez-Zitouna Mosque, and El-Zituna Mosque, is a major mosque at the center of the Medina of Tunis. The mosque is the oldest in Tunis, built in the 8th century & covers an area of 5,000 square metres with nine entrances
5/ Minaret of Wazir Khan Mosque, Pakistan
The construction began in 1634 C.E. & completed in 1641. Considered to be the most ornately decorated Mughal-era mosque it is renowned for its intricate faience tile work known as kashi-kari, as well as embellished frescoes
6/ Minaret of Chinguetti Mosque, Adrar, Mauritania, 13th-14th century
The minaret of this ancient structure is supposedly the 2nd oldest in continuous use anywhere in the Muslim world. The mosque is popularly considered the national emblem of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania
7/ Minaret of The Shah Mosque, Isfahan, Iran
Located on the south side of Naghsh-e Jahan Square. It was built during the Safavid dynasty in 1611, under the order of Shah Abbas I of Persia. It is regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian architecture in the Islamic era
8/ Minaret of Asma Bint Alawi Mosque, Muscat, Oman
Inspired by Moroccan architectural styles. It features a central colourful decorated dome, as well as a clock tower as its minaret. The mosque also has a fountain in its courtyard, & maze-shaped flower basin
9/ Minaret & Archaeological Remains of Jam, Afghanistan
The 65m-tall Minaret of Jam dates to the 12th century. Covered in elaborate brickwork with a blue tile inscription it is noteworthy for the quality of its architecture & decoration reflecting the regional artistic tradition
10/ Minaret of The Great Mosque of Paris, France
The architecture & garden of the Mosque is inspired by the Alhambra in Grenada. The mosque was built to pay tribute to the 100,000 Muslim fighters who died for France in the First World War.
11/ Minarets of Beemapally Mosque, Kerala, India
Beemapally is a region within the city of Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala, India. This stunning pink mosque was built to honour Syedunnisa Beema Beevi who travelled from Arabia to establish Islam in Kerala
12/ Kalta Minor Minaret, Khiva, Uzbekistan
One of the last great blue buildings in the Khanate of Khiva was Kalta Minor. This had to be the tallest structure in Khiva & in the whole of Central Asia. Works ended abruptly in 1855, leaving this beautiful minaret unfinished
13/ Minaret of the Great Mosque of Sana'a, Yemen
One of the oldest mosques in the world, it is said to have been founded in the early Islamic period, suggested to be in 633. The earliest recorded renovations occurred under Caliph al-Alid I in the early 8th century
14/ Minaret of The Great Mosque of Touba, Senegal.
It was founded by Sheikh Ahmad Bamba in 1887 and completed in 1963. It is the largest building in the city and one of the largest mosques in Africa, with a capacity of 7,000.
15/ Minaret of Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Also known as the Blue Mosque, it is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque. A functioning mosque, it also attracts large numbers of tourist visitors. It was constructed between 1609 & 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I.
16/ Minaret of An Nurumi Mosque, Indonesia
An Indonesian mosque styled after St. Basil's Cathedral. Some call it the “Candy Mosque,” because of its colorful domed spires & minaret that resemble lollipops.
17/ Minaret of Al Azizia Mosque, Mecca, Saudia Arabia
Al Azizia mosque is a majestic Islamic style building of 23,140m2, located just minutes away from Al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which is capable of accommodating up to 25,000 worshippers
18/ Minaret of Spiral Mosque, Doha, Qatar
The mosque of the Kassem Darwish Fakhroo Islamic Centre is a recent construction & one of Doha's famous landmarks. It is not a traditional Qatari mosque but a replica of the Great Mosque of Al-Mutawwakil, Samarra in Iraq
19/ Minaret of Hamoudi mosque (1906), City of Djibouti, Djibouti
Every city has at least one iconic building, and this is the closest thing to it in Djibouti city what with the mosque's size and prominent location above the main square
20/ Minaret of Äcem Masjid, Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia.
Commissioned in 1887- 1880 by Tatar merchant, Mortaza Äcimev.
21/ Minaret of Agadez Mosque, Tchirozerine Department, Niger, 1515
It was made of clay and is the tallest mud-brick structure in the world. The city was built in 1515 at the time when the city was captured by the Songhai Empire. It was restored and some of it was rebuilt in 1844
22/ Minaret of The Ketchaoua Mosque, Algeria
While Algeria was under French colonial rule, this historic mosque was turned into a Christian cathedral. After the end of the Algerian War of Independence in 1962, it was returned to its original purpose, as a mosque.
23/ Minarets of Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
This distinctive colourful red & white striped two-storey building, with a clock tower was built in 1909. Its architecture was inspired by the pomegranate, which is manifested in the building colour & shape of the domes
24/ Minaret of Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Egypt
One of the oldest and most important mosques in Egypt. It is considered a source for enlightenment. The cornerstone of Al-Azhar Mosque was laid on Ramadan 14, 359 AH - 970 AD
Mariam Astrulabi was a pioneering female Muslim scientist & astronomer, born in Syria during the 10th century. She is known for developing Astrolabes, an ancient astronomical computer for solving problems related to time & position of the sun & stars
A thread on Mariam Astrulabi
1/ Mariam al Astrulabi's remarkable contribution to the art of astrolabes has largely been ignored by the world. What she achieved in the 10th century consequently helped several generations of scientists to explore the concept of time and space.
Astrolabe @HSMOxford
@HSMOxford 2/ Astrolabes were beneficial in determining the position of the sun, moon, stars & the planets. They were used in astronomy, astrology & horoscopes. Muslims would specifically use it to find the Qibla, determine prayer times & the initial days of Ramadan and Eid
Did you know Mosque ceilings are designed to reflect the magnificence of the universe?
Here are spectacular details of 24 Mosque ceilings from around the world…
A thread…
1/ Jami Mosque, Andijan, Uzbekistan
The construction of the madrasah began in 1883 and lasted for 7 years. It has a gorgeous fretwork of wooden columns supporting a ceiling decorated with bright patterns made of a combination of geometrical ornaments & vegetal elements
Construction of the mosque started in 1603 and was finished in 1619. Built by the chief architect Mohammadreza Isfahani, during the reign of Shah Abbas I of Persia. Beautiful interior dome details
Ever wondered who paved the way for the age of algorithms?
It was a 9th-century Muslim genius, mathematician, geographer & astronomer, Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi - also known as the Father of Algebra
A thread on the incredible Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi…
1/ Even the term algorithm is Al-Khwarizmi translated into Latin!
The scientist and mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi lived from 780 to 850 AD in Persia and Iraq.
2/ Al-Khwarizmi's most significant contribution to mathematics was the development of algebra. His book, "Kitab al-Jabr wal-Muqabala" (The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing), introduced systematic methods for solving linear and quadratic equations.
Did you know that the Persian scholar of medicine, Ibn Sina (980-1037) suspected some diseases were spread by microorganisms.
To prevent human-to-human contamination, he came up with a method of isolating people for 40 days.
A thread on Ibn Sina & his impact on modern science…
1/ Ibn Sina, also known to the Latin West as Avicenna, was a Persian polymath and one of the most influential Islamic philosophers, physicians, and scientists of the medieval period. He was born in 980 CE in present-day Uzbekistan and passed away in 1037 CE in Iran.
2/ Ibn Sina's medical works had a profound impact on European medicine. His most renowned work in medicine is "The Canon of Medicine" (Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb), considered one of the most influential medical texts in history. It consists of five books & covers a range of medical topics
‘Traveling leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller’
- Ibn Battuta
The most famous explorer in the Muslim World, Ibn Battuta, travelled more than any other explorer in pre-modern history - around 117,000 km!
A thread on the 14th century explorer Ibn Battuta…
1/ Ibn Battuta was born in 1304 CE in Tangier, Morocco. His travelogue the Rihla is his most important work. His journeys in the Rihla lasted for a period of almost thirty years, covering nearly the whole of the known Islamic world & beyond.
2/ Ibn Battuta travelled more than any other explorer in pre-modern history, surpassing Zheng He with 50,000 km (31,000 mi) and Marco Polo with 24,000 km. His total distance travelled was approximately 117,000 km (73,000 mi) (15,000 mi).
Ismail al-Jazari, a Muslim inventor from the 12th century is known as the "father of robotics" due to his groundbreaking work in the field of automata, which are self-operating machines.
A thread on Ismail al-Jazari, engineering & robotics…
1/ While robotics is considered a relatively new field of science, with the public’s consensus that it is the creation of 20th-century scientists, it would be surprising to know that the field has its roots in the medieval era nearly a millennium ago, with Ismail Al Jazari
2/ Ismail Al Jazari gained fame for his extraordinary inventions, encompassing a wide spectrum of marvels. His repertoire included robots programmed to provide guests with towels, programmable on-off switches for fountains, automated mechanical clocks & much more!
A Candle Clock from a copy of al-Jazaris treatise on automata