Afghanistan - Herat Grand Mosque

Herat Grand Mosque

Thanks to Tian Zi Yi of China for arranging this postcard sent from Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Jama Masjid of Herat (مسجد جمعه هرات), also known as the Masjid-i Jami' of Herat, and the Great Mosque of Herat is a mosque in the city of Herat, in the Herat Province of north-western Afghanistan. It was built by Ghurids, the famous Sultan Ghayas-ud-Din Ghori, who laid its foundation in 1200 AD, and later extended by several rulers as Herat changed rulers down the centuries from the Timurids, to the Safavids, to the Mughals and the Uzbeks, all of whom supported the mosque. Though many of the glazed tiles have been replaced during subsequent periods, the Great Mosque in Herat was given its present form during the closing years of the fifteenth century.

Apart from numerous small neighborhood mosques for daily prayer, most communities in the Islamic world have a larger mosque, a congregational mosque for Friday services with a sermon. The Jama Masjid was not always the largest mosque in Herat; a much larger complex the Mosque and Madressa of Gawharshad, also built by the Timurids, was located in the northern part of the city. However, those architectural monuments were dynamited by officers of the British Indian Army in 1885, to prevent its use as a fortress if a Russian army tried to invade India. (read further)

Iran - Meidan Emam, Esfahan

Esfahan
Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque

Sent by Majid from Esfahan, Iran.

Built by Shah Abbas I the Great at the beginning of the 17th century, and bordered on all sides by monumental buildings linked by a series of two-storeyed arcades, the site is known for the Royal Mosque, the Mosque of Sheykh Lotfollah, the magnificent Portico of Qaysariyyeh and the 15th-century Timurid palace. They are an impressive testimony to the level of social and cultural life in Persia during the Safavid era. (read further)

Morocco - Casablanca - Hassan II Mosque

Hassan II Mosque.

Sent by Omar from Tafraoute, Morocco.

The Hassan II Mosque or Grande Mosquée Hassan II (Arabic: مسجد الحسن الثاني‎; nickname: "Casablanca Hajj" (colloquial, microblogging and social networking language) is a mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. It is the largest mosque in the country and the 7th largest in the world. Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210 metres (689 ft). Completed in 1993, it was designed by Michel Pinseau and built by Bouygues. The minaret is 60 stories high topped by a laser, the light from which is directed towards Mecca. The mosque stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic Ocean, the sea bed being visible through the glass floor of the building's hall. The walls are of hand-crafted marble and the roof is retractable. A maximum of 105,000 worshippers can gather together for prayer: 25,000 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 on the mosque's outside grounds. (read further)

Russia - Republic Adygea - Maykop Mosque

View of Maykop or Maikop in Republic Adygea. On the right is Maikop Mosque, a gift to the city by the Sheikh from United Arab Emirates.

Sent by Mary from Maykop in Repubic Adygea, Russia.

The Republic of Adygea (/ɑːdɨˈɡeɪ.ə/; Russian: Респу́блика Адыге́я, tr. Respublika Adygeya; IPA: [ɐdɨˈɡʲejə];Adyghe: Адыгэ Республик, Adıge Respublik) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic) enclaved within Krasnodar Krai. Its area is 7,600 square kilometers (2,900 sq mi) with a population of 439,996 (2010 Census).Its capital is the city of Maykop.

Adygea lies in southeastern Europe in the northern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, with plains in the north and mountains in the south. Forests cover almost 40% of its territory.

• Area: 7,600 km² (2,900 sq mi)
• Borders: Adygea is entirely surrounded by Krasnodar Krai
• Highest point: Chugush Mountain 3,238 m (10,623 ft). (Source)

Indonesia - Masjid Agung

Masjid Agung in Surakarta (or Solo), Indonesia.

Sent by Shinta, a postcrosser from Semarang, Indonesia.

Bahrain - Old Khamis Mosque

Old Khamis Mosque in Kingdom of Bahrain.

Sent by Euna from Bahrain.

This is from Wikipedia : The Khamis Mosque (Arabic: مسجد الخميس‎; transliterated: Masjid al-Khamys) is believed to be the first mosque in Bahrain, built during the era of the Umayyad caliph Umar II. The identical twin minarets of this ancient Islamic monument make it easily noticeable as one drives along the Shaikh Salman Road in Khamis. It is considered to be one of the oldest relics of Islam in the region, and the foundation of this mosque is believed to have been laid as early as 692 AD. An inscription found on the site, however, suggests a foundation date sometimes during the 11th Century. It has since been rebuilt twice in both 14th & 15th centuries, when the minarets were constructed. The Khamis mosque has been partially restored recently.

Islam was propagated to Bahrain in the 7th century AD when Muhammad sent an envoy Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami, preaching Islam to the Governor of Qatar and Bahrain at the time, Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi.

North Cyprus - Famagusta - Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque

Famagusta - Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque.

Sent from North Cyprus by Leslie who's visiting.

This is from Wikipedia : The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque originally known as the Saint Nicolas Cathedral and later as the Ayasofya (Saint Sophia) Mosque of Magusa, is the largest medieval building in Famagusta, North Cyprus. Built between 1298 and c.1400 it was consecrated as a Christian cathedral in 1328. The cathedral was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman Empire captured Famagusta in 1571 and it remains a mosque to this day.

The French Lusignan dynasty ruled as Kings of Cyprus from 1192 to 1489 and had brought with them the latest French taste in architecture, notably developments in Gothic architecture.

The cathedral was constructed from 1298 to 1312 and was consecrated in 1328. "After an unfortunate episode when the current bishop embezzled the restoration fund", Bishop Guy of Ibelin bequeathed 20,000 bezants for its construction. The Lusignans would be crowned as Kings of Cyprus in the St. Sophia Cathedral (now Selimiye Mosque) in Nicosia and then crowned as Kings of Jerusalem in the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Famagusta.

The building is constructed in Rayonnant Gothic style, quite rare outside France, though "mediated through buildings in the Rhineland". The historic tie between France and Cyprus is evidenced by its parallels to French archetypes such as the Reims Cathedral. Indeed, so strong is the resemblance, that the building has been dubbed "The Reims of Cyprus". The building has three doors, twin towers over the aisles and a flat roof, typical of Crusader architecture.

Russia - Kul Shariff Mosque

The opening of Kul Sharif mosque (24/06/2005).

Sent by Irina, a postcrosser from Russia.

This is from Wikipedia : The Qolşärif mosque (pronounced [kɔlʃæˈriːf], also spelled Qol Sharif, Kol Sharif, Qol Sherif via Tatar: Колшәриф мәчете and Kul Sharif via Russian: мечеть Кул-Шариф) located in Kazan Kremlin, was reputed to be -at the time of its construction- the largest mosque in Russia, and in Europe outside of Istanbul (read further).

Russia - Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin (2)

Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin.

Sent by Elena, a postcrosser from Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

Turkey - The Blue Mosque (6)

ISTANBUL, TURKEY.
Sultanahmet Camii or The Blue Mosque.

Sent by Eugenia, a postcrosser from Oregon, USA.

Russia - Bukhara Mosque

The White Cathedral (Bukhara) Mosque in Moskovsky Trakt was built in 1912 - 1916 by architect A.I. Langer. To the east of the mosque there is the University Lake famous for the fact that in the early 18th, 19th and 20th centuries Moskovskaya Zastava (Moscow Turnpike) was located on the lakeside.

Sent by Zhenya, a postcrosser from Tomsk in Siberia, Russia.

India - Jama Masjid, Delhi

The Jama Masjid in Old Delhi is the largest mosque in India.

Sent by Mansoor, a postcrosser from Mangalore, India.

This is from Wikipedia : The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā (Persian: مسجد جھان نما, Devanagari: मस्जिद झान नुमा, the 'World-reflecting Mosque'), commonly known as the Jama Masjid (Hindi: जामा मस्जिद, Urdu: جامع مسجد) of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal, and completed in the year 1628 AD, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India. It lies at the origin of a very busy central street of Old Delhi, the Chawri Bazar Road.

The later name, Jama Masjid, is a reference to the weekly Friday noon congregation prayers of Muslims, Jummah, which are usually done at a mosque, the "congregational mosque" or "jāmi' masjid". The courtyard of the mosque can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers. The mosque also houses several relics in a closet in the north gate, including an antique copy of the Qur'an written on deer skin.

The foundation of the historic Jama Masjid aka(Friday Mosque) was laid on a hillock in Shahjahanabad by fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shahjahan, on Friday, October 6, 1650 AD, (10th Shawwal 1060 AH). The mosque was the result of the efforts of over 5,000 workers, over a period of six years. The cost incurred on the construction in those times was 10 lakh (1 million) Rupees, and it was the same Emperor who also built the Taj Mahal, at Agra and the Red Fort, which stands opposite the Jama Masjid, which was finally ready in 1656 AD (1066 AH), complete with three great gates, four towers and two 40 m-high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble.

Shah Jahan built several important mosques in Delhi, Agra, Ajmer and Lahore. The Jama Masjid's floorplan is very similar to the Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri near Agra, but the Jama Masjid in Delhi is the bigger and more imposing of the two. Its majesty is further enhanced because of the high ground that he selected for building this mosque. The architecture and design of the slightly larger Badshahi Mosque of Lahore built by Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb in 1673 is closely related to the Jama Masjid in Delhi.

Malaysia - Johor - Masjid Jamek Muar

Masid Jamek Muar; 2004; Acrylic; 105cm x 90cm; Artist - Muhammad Alif @ Hud Hassan.

Sent by Aameea from Johor Bahru, Johor.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF MASJID JAMEK MUAR (IN BAHASA MELAYU)

Turkey - Historic Areas of Istanbul

ISTANBUL - TURKEY
The Mosque of Soliman the Magnificent and the Golden Horn.

Sent by Elisabeth, a postcrosser from Turkey.

Istanbul bears unique testimony to the Byzantine and Ottoman civilizations. Throughout history, the monuments in the centre of the city have exerted considerable influence on the development of architecture, monumental arts and the organization of space, in both Europe and Asia. Thus, the 6,650 m terrestrial wall of Theodosius II with its second line of defences, created in AD 447, was one of the leading references for military architecture even before St Sophia became a model for an entire family of churches and later mosques and before the mosaics of the palaces and churches of Constantinople influenced Eastern and Western Christian art.

Istanbul was built at the crossroads of two continents; it was successively the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire, and it has constantly been associated with major events in political history, religious history and art history in Europe and Asia for some 20 centuries.

At the same time, however, Istanbul is a large metropolis. With its population of some 3 million inhabitants, this historic city has undergone population growth in the past 30 years, which has profoundly changed its conservation conditions. The threat of pollution arising from industrialization and rapid and initially uncontrolled urbanization have jeopardized the historical and cultural heritage of the old town.

The World Heritage site covers four zones, illustrating the major phases of the city's history using its most prestigious monuments:

• the Archaeological Park, which in 1953 and 1956 was defined at the tip of the peninsula;
• the Süleymaniye quarter, protected in 1980 and 1981;
• the Zeyrek quarter, protected in 1979;
• the zone of the ramparts, protected in 1981.

The ancient city and the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire are both represented: by the hippodrome of Constantine (324) in the Archaeological Park, by the aqueduct of Valens (378) in the Süleymaniye quarter, and by the ramparts built starting in 413 upon the order of Theodosius II, located in the last of the four zones.

The capital of the Byzantine Empire is highlighted by several major monuments. In the Archaeological Park there are the churches of St Sophia and St Irene, which were built in the reign of Justinian (527-65); In the Zeyrek quarter there is the ancient Pantocrator Monastery which was founded under John II Comnenus (1118-43) by the Empress Irene; in the zone of the ramparts there is the old church of the Holy Saviour in Chora (now the Kariye Camii) with its marvellous mosaics and paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries. Moreover, the current layout of the walls results from modifications performed in the 7th and 12th centuries to include the quarter and the Palace of the Blachernes.

The capital of the Ottoman Empire is represented by its most important monuments: Topkapı Saray and the Blue Mosque in the archaeological zone; the Sehzade and Süleymaniye mosques, which are two of the architect Koça Sinan's major works, constructed under Süleyman the Magnificent (1520-66) in the Süleymaniye quarter; and the vernacular settlement vestiges of this quarter (525 wooden houses which are listed and protected). (Source)

Russia - Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin

The sight of the Kazan Kremlin (Kul Sharif Mosque in front). It is part of Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Meriam from Russia.

The complex of the Kazan Kremlin and its key monuments represents exceptional testimony of historical continuity and cultural diversity over a long period, resulting in an important interchange of values generated by the different cultures. It is exceptional testimony of the khanate and is the only surviving Tatar fortress with traces of the original town-planning conception. It is, furthermore, an outstanding example of a synthesis of Tatar and Russian influences in architecture, integrating different cultures (Bulgar, Golden Horde, Tatar, Italian and Russian), as well as showing the impact of Islam and Christianity (read further)

Turkey - The Blue Mosque (5)

Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

Sent by Corinna, a postcrosser from Germany.

Turkey - The Blue Mosque (4)

ISTANBUL - TURKEY
Interior of the Blue Mosque or Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

Sent by Ozlem, a postcrosser from Edirne in Turkey.

This is from Wikipedia : The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is a historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.

It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. While still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction.


Interior of the Blue Mosque.

Kosovo - Sinan Pasha Mosque

PRIZREN - Sinan Pašina džamija (Sinan Pasha Mosque).

Sent by Volker, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wkipedia : The Sinan Pasha Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Sinan Pashës, Serbian: Синан Пашина Џамија, Turkish: Sinan Paşa Camii) is an Ottoman mosque in the city of Prizren, Kosovo[a] . It was built in 1615 by Sofi Sinan Pasha, bey of Budim. The mosque overlooks the main street of Prizren and is a dominant feature in the town's skyline.

Sinan Pasha Mosque was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990 by the Republic of Serbia.

Sofi Sinan Pasha started construction of the mosque in either 1600 or 1608. Sofi Sinan Pasha, a former beylerbey and kaymakam in Bosnia should not be confused with grand vizier Sinan Pasha, who built the Sinan Pasha Mosque in the nearby city of Kačanik.

It is widely considered that the stones used to build the mosque were taken from nearby Saint Archangels Monastery. In fact, parts from the monastery can be seen at the mosque. The monastery, which was abandoned after the arrival of the Ottomans in the 16th century, had fallen to ruins by the 17th century. Hasan Kaleshi, an Albanian historian, sustained in 1972 that Sofi Sinan Pasha couldn't have possibly ordered any monastery destruction as this was impossible without a Sultan decree, rather, he ordered the use of the spare stones to a better deed as ordered by the Sultan.

The mosque once housed a madrasah and a portico that were demolished in 1939, though traces of the madrasah can still be seen.

Bosnia Herzegovina - Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque

SARAJEVO
Gazi Husrev-begova Džamija

Sent by Jasmin from Bosnia Herzegovina.

This is from Wikipedia : The Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque (Bosnian: Gazi Husrev-begova Džamija, Turkish: Gazi Hüsrev Bey Camii), is a mosque in the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is considered the most important Islamic structure in the country and one of the world's finest examples of Ottoman architecture. It is located in the Baščaršija neighborhood in the Stari Grad municipality, and remains one of the most popular centers of worship in the city.

The Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque was built by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, who would later go on to build the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne for the Sultan Selim I. The mosque was financed in 1531 by Gazi Husrev-beg, the provincial governor of Bosnia. Gazi Husrev-beg is widely considered Sarajevo's greatest patron, as he financed much of Sarajevo's old city at this time.

Magnificent stalactite ornamentation in the angles under the dome and in the place where the imam leads the prayers, as well as other polychromatic decoration, valuable carpets and the light effects through the 51 windows produces a sense of greater space than there is in reality. At every time of prayer in this mosque, the great benefactor Gazi Husrev-beg is remembered.

In his legacy, he stated: "Good deeds drive away evil, and one of the most worthy of good deeds is the act of charity, and the most worthy act of charity is one which lasts forever. Of all charitable deeds, the most beautiful is one that continually renews itself."

Gazi Husrev-beg also built the same mosque called Hüsreviye Mosque in Aleppo, Syria, between 1531 and 1534.

China - Yuan Dynasty's Mosque

Mosque built during Yuan Dynasty.

Sent by Liu from Beijing, China.