King Faisal Mosque, Sharjah
The King Faisal Mosque (Arabic: مَسْجِد ٱلْمَلِك فَيْصَل, romanized: Masjid Al-Malik Fayṣal) is a mosque in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates.[4][5][6] It is named after the former ruler of Saudi Arabia King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.
| King Faisal Mosque | |
|---|---|
مَسْجِد ٱلْمَلِك فَيْصَل | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Ownership | Government |
| Location | |
| Location | Sharjah, the U.A.E. |
  Location in the United Arab Emirates  King Faisal Mosque, Sharjah (Middle East)  King Faisal Mosque, Sharjah (Asia) | |
| Geographic coordinates | 25°20′58″N 55°23′15″E |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Hafidh Al-Junaidi[lower-alpha 1] |
| Type | Mosque |
| Style | Islamic |
| Groundbreaking | 1984[2] |
| Completed | Friday, 23rd of January,[1][3] 1987[4] |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 16,670[1] |
| Dome(s) | 1 |
| Minaret(s) | 2 |
| Minaret height | 70 m (230 ft)[1] |
| Site area | 10,000–12,000 m2 (110,000–130,000 sq ft)[3] |
History
Construction of the mosque started in 1984,[2] and it was completed and opened to the public on Friday the 23rd of January,[1][3] 1987.[4] Named after King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, it had been the largest in the Emirate of Sharjah[2] and country.[1][3] Currently, the Sharjah Mosque in the area of Tay[7] is the largest mosque in the Emirate,[8][9] and the Sheikh Zayed Mosque is the largest in the nation.[2]
Geography
The mosque is located on King Faisal Road and Al Arouba Street in the central part of Sharjah, near the headquarters of Dubai Islamic Bank in Sharjah, Al Ittihad (Union) Park, the Central Bus Station and Al Jubail Souq.[1][2][3]
Structure
The mosque has 2 minarets which measure 70 m (230 ft),[1] an area of 10,000–12,000 m2 (110,000–130,000 sq ft),[3] and a capacity of 16,670 worshippers,[1] of which 12,000 can be seated. The mosque has functions even apart from hosting male and female worshippers. The second floor is occupied by Sharjah's Department of Islamic Affairs and Awqaf, including a general library and offices, adding the library having approximately 7,000 books on Islamic thought and history, modern books on Islamic Sharia and ahadith, in addition to cultural, literary and scientific works. The ground and first floors are for men to pray in, and the basement for women. Near the women's prayer hall is a big place where people may donate clothes for the needy, under the supervision of Sharjah International Charitable Organisation, which also has offices in the building.[1][2][3]
See also
Notes
- Descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, via Al-Husayn ibn Ali[1]
References
- Al Qassemi, Sultan Sooud (2017-11-16). "Demystifying Sharjah's iconic King Faisal Mosque". Gulf News. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
- "A look at the magnificent mosques of the UAE". Khaleej Times. 2015-07-01. Archived from the original on 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
- Kakande, Yasin (2011-08-11). "Sharjah's mosque where the faithful can listen and learn". Sharjah: The National. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
- Rizvi, Kishwar (2015-10-08). "4: Grand Mosques in the United Arab Emirates". The Transnational Mosque: Architecture and Historical Memory in the Contemporary Middle East. Chapel Hill: UNC Press Books. pp. 187–189. ISBN 978-1-4696-2117-3.
- Bloom, Jonathan M.; Blair, Sheila S., eds. (2009-05-14). Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture: Three-Volume Set. Vol. I, II & III. New York: OUP USA. p. 374. ISBN 978-0-1953-0991-1.
- The Rough Guide to Dubai. Rough Guides UK. 2016-11-01. ISBN 978-0-2412-9864-0.
- "New Sharjah mosque can accommodate 25,000 worshippers". Gulf News. 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
- سلطان القاسمي يفتتح مسجد الشارقة (in Arabic). Sharjah: Al-Bayan. 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
- سلطان القاسمي يفتتح مسجد الشارقة بتكلفة 300 مليون درهم (in Arabic). Sharjah: Al-Ittihad. 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2019-05-30.