During the last 10 nights of Ramadan, many Muslims spend more time in Mosques in contemplation & prayer.
Mosque ceilings are designed to reflect the magnificence of the universe.
For Ramadan, here are spectacular details of 24 Mosque ceilings from around the world…
A thread…
1/ The ceiling of Shah Mosque in Tehran, Iran
Built to the order of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar of Persia during the Qajar period, as one of several such symbols of legitimacy for the new dynasty. Construction started in 1810 & completed in 1825 #Ramadan
2/ The ceiling of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Naqsh-i Jahan Square, Esfahan, Iran
Construction of the mosque started in 1603 & finished in 1619. Built by the chief architect Mohammadreza Isfahani, during the reign of Shah Abbas I of Persia. Beautiful interior dome details #Ramadan
3/ The ceiling of Al-Askari Mosque, Samarra, Salah al-Din Governorate, Northern Iraq
Built in 944 it is a Shia Muslim mosque & mausoleum in the Iraqi city of Samarra 125 km from Baghdad. It is one of the most important Shia shrines in the world & is decorated in tiles #Ramadan
4/ The ceiling of Jami Mosque, Andijan, Uzbekistan
Construction of the madrasah began in 1883 & lasted 7 years. It has fretwork of wooden columns supporting a ceiling decorated with bright patterns made of a combination of geometrical ornaments & vegetal elements #Ramadan
The 14th-century mosque is still in use today. It was first built under Ala'oddoleh Garshasb of the Al-e Bouyeh dynasty. It was largely rebuilt between 1324 & 1365. The ceiling was built like a porch in the heart of the desert #Ramadan
7/ The ceiling of Tokyo Mosque, (東京ジャーミイ), Ōyama-chō district of Shibuya ward in Tokyo, Japan
The largest mosque in Japan. Originally built in 1938 the current building was completed in 2000. It was designed by Hilmi Senalp in Ottoman architecture style #Ramadan
8/ The ceiling of Bolo Haouz Mosque, Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Built in 1712, on the opposite side of the citadel of Ark in Registan district. Thin columns made of painted wood were added to the frontal part of the iwan (entrance) in 1917 #Ramadan
9/ The ceiling of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem, Palestine
In the Old City of Jerusalem, the 3rd holiest site in Islam. It was built on top of the Temple Mount, known as the Al Aqsa Compound or Haram esh-Sharif in Islam, several decades after Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) death #Ramadan
10/ The ceiling of Nasir Al Mulk, Shiraz, Iran
Built during the Qajar dynasty in 1876 by the order of Mirza Hassan Ali Nasir-ol-Mulk, and was completed in 1888. The designers were Mohammad Hasan-e-Memār, Mohammad Hosseini Shirazi, and Mohammad Rezā Kāshi-Sāz-e-Širāzi #Ramadan
11/ The ceiling of Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan
Built in 1641 it is considered the most ornately decorated Mughal-era mosque renowned for its intricate faience tile work known as kashi-kari & its interior surfaces that are embellished with Mughal-era frescoes #Ramadan
12/ The ceiling of Hafez Tomb, Shiraz, Iran
Built in 1773 in memory of the celebrated Persian poet Hafez. The open pavilion structures are situated in the Musalla Gardens on the north bank of a seasonal river and house the marble tomb of Hafez #Ramadan
13’ The ceiling of Badshahi Mosque, Pakistan
Built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb between 1671 & 1673 it was the largest mosque in the world from 1673 to 1986. A great example of Mughal architecture with an exterior decorated with carved red sandstone & marble inlay #Ramadan
14/ The ceiling of a Mosque, near Erbil Citadel, Iraq
Multicoloured ceiling with verses written from the Qur’an #Ramadan
15/ The ceiling of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The largest mosque in the country, it was constructed between 1994 & 2007. The project was launched by the late president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan #Ramadan
16/ The ceiling of Tila Kari, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Commissioned a decade after the adjacent Shir Dar madrasa (1619-1636). The last, largest and most embellished structure of the famed Registan Square. It's name means ''gold-covered' #Ramadan
17/ The ceiling of Shahi Mosque Chiniot, Pakistan
A historic 17th century mosque located in Chiniot, Punjab. It was built under supervision of Mughal Grand Vizier Saadullah Khan #Ramadan
18/ The ceiling of Nur Astana Mosque, Kazakhstan
The third largest mosque in Central Asia. The 40-meter height symbolizes the age of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when he received the revelations, and the height of the minarets are 63 meters, the age when he died #Ramadan
19/ The ceiling of Seyed Mosque, Isfahan, Iran
The biggest & the most famous mosque from the Qajar era. It was founded by Seyyed Mohammad Bagher Shafti, one of the most famous clergymen in Isfahan in the middle of the 19th century #Ramadan
20/ The ceiling of Putra Mosque, Putrajaya, Malaysia
Building began in 1997 & completed in 1999. The pink-domed Mosque is constructed with rose-tinted granite & includes a prayer hall, courtyard & learning facilities. The mosque can accommodate 15,000 worshippers #Ramadan
21/ The ceiling of Goharshad Mosque, Mashhad, Iran
A grand congregational mosque built during the Timurid period in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran, which now serves as one of the prayer halls within the Imam Reza shrine complex #Ramadan
22/ The ceiling of Al-Ashrafiya Mosque, Taiz, Yemen
Considered to be one of the most important centers in the Islamic history of Yemen. It was supposedly built in 2 stages: by Sultan Al-Ashraf Umar II (1295-6) by Sultan Al-Ashraf Isma'il I (1377-1400) & opened in 1382 #Ramadan
23/ The ceiling of Sayyidah Ruqayyah Masjid, Damascus, Syria
The mosque contains the grave of Sukaynah (née Ruqayyah), the young daughter of Al-Husayn ibn ‘Alī. It was built around the mausoleum in 1985 and exhibits the modern style of Iranian architecture #Ramadan
24/ The ceiling of Central Mosque of St. Petersburg, Russia
When opened in 1913 it was the largest mosque in Europe outside Turkey, its minarets 49 meters in height & the dome is 39 meters high. It can accommodate up to 5000 worshippers & is renowned for its blue tiles #Ramadan
‘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).
The Qur’an was first revealed during the month of Ramadan. This blessed month is also known by Muslims as the month of Fasting
To celebrate the arrival of #Ramadan here are 24 beautiful Qur’anic manuscripts found in museum collections across the world #RamadanMubarak
A thread…
1/ Folio from a Manuscript of the Qur'an
Iran, Shiraz, 1550-1575
Ink, colors and gold on paper
@LACMA #Ramadan
@LACMA 2/ Double Folio from a Qur'an
c. 1330-1350, Central Asian or Turkish
Early Muslim settlers from central and western Asia carried Islamic book traditions into India, especially in the form of Qur'ans, such as the one from which these pages come
Shah-i-Zinda is one Samarkand’s most beloved sites, which contains some of the richest tile work in the world. The magnificent architecture draws inspiration from multiple periods & styles, taking you back through time & across cultures
A thread on the beauty of Shah-i-Zinda…
1/ The Shah-i-Zinda ensemble includes mausoleums, mosques & other ritual buildings of 11-15th & 19th centuries. The name Shah-i-Zinda (meaning The living king) is connected with the legend that Qutham ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH is buried here
📷 Ash Diler
2/ Shah-i-Zinda is a world-famous example of a continuously constructed historical site. Over 1,000 years ago, it was founded with a single religious monument. Between the 11th & 19th centuries, mosques & mausoleums were continuously added
From Spain to Azerbaijan, to Germany to Bosnia, Europe has some of the finest mosques.
The presence of Islam in Europe is not a new phenomenon, with Muslims residing in the continent as early as the 8th century.
Here are 24 mosques across Europe #JummahMubarak
A thread…
1/ Koski Mehmed-Pasha Mosque, Mostar, Bosnia
Dates back to 1617 & features numerous multicolored windows, a minaret with a lookout spot & a courtyard with several tombs. Although the original Ottoman mosque was heavily damaged during the attacks of the 1990s it has been restored
2/ The Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking, England
This is the first purpose built mosque that was built in the UK.
It was built in 1889 by Dr Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner, an orientalist of Jewish descent from Hungary. Money was donated by Begum Shah Jahan, the Nawab Begum of Bhopal.
Welcome to Al-Mutanabbi Street the ‘Book Market of Baghdad’, where books remain in the street at night because Iraqis say:
“The reader does not steal and the thief does not read.”
A thread on the rich heritage of the historic book market on Al-Mutanabbi Street…
1/ Al-Mutanabbi Street is the historic center of Baghdad bookselling, that dates back to the time of the Abbasids. Located near the old quarter of Baghdad, Al-Mutanabbi Street was Baghdad’s first book traders’ market.
2/ Al-Mutanabbi Street has been, since time immemorial, the historic heart and soul of the Baghdad literary and intellectual community.
Libraries developed in the Islamic Golden Age due to a commitment to literacy & seeking knowledge. One of the oldest libraries in the world Al-Qarawiyyin library, was founded by a Muslim woman, more than 12 centuries ago!
A thread on the greatest libraries in Islamic history…
1/ Al-Qarawiyyan Library, Fez, Morocco
Founded by a Muslim woman, Fatima El-Fihriya in 859, it is one of the oldest libraries in the world & the oldest library in Africa. It also holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest working library, & is still in use today…
1.1/ The Al-Qarawiyyan Library houses a collection of 4,000 rare books & ancient Arabic manuscripts written by renowned scholars of the region. The manuscripts include a 9th century version of the Quran and a manuscript on Islamic jurisprudence written by philosopher Averroes.