We have been fortunate enough to visit some of the most beautiful and stunning mosques around the world in our travels thus far. We would like to share the 5 most stunning mosques we have visited so far with you all! Do let us know in the comments if you have been to any of these, or if there are any other exquisite mosques that you would recommend to visit!
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muscat, Oman
Completed in 2001, the Sultan Qaboos mosque in the capital city of Oman is a stunning building made from Indian sandstone. It was dedicated by the Sultan of Oman to 30 years of his reign. The mosque is most known for its intricate main dome rising 50 meters from the floor. One of the highlights of its interior is the massive prayer carpet that covers the main hall. It weighs over 21 tonnes, and has 1.7 billion knots!
Taking 4 years to complete it encompasses classical Persian Tabriz, Kashan and Isfahan design traditions. It used to be the largest single piece carpet in the world till it was recently overtaken by another mosque on this list! The main chandelier weighs 8 and a half tonnes and includes more than half a million crystals! It also lost the title of the largest chandelier to the same mosque which took over the carpet crown! An absolute must visit if you are ever in Oman!
Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, this is an Ottoman style mosque was built in the 17th century. Hand-painted blue tiles adorn the mosque’s interior walls, and at night the mosque is bathed in blue light. Framing the mosque’s five main domes are six minarets and eight secondary domes. It incorporates many Byzantine elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the Ottoman era.
The interior of the mosque is adorned with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, in more than fifty different tulip designs. The intricate work on the main dome is spellbinding. Along with the neighboring Hagia Sophia (which has been both a church and mosque at different times) the Blue mosque is one of the architectural gems of Istanbul. I didn’t have a good camera with me during my trip to Turkey, since it was a 12 hour layover and I just went out to explore on a whim, so I’ve used some photos from the web.
Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha or Alabaster Mosque, Cairo, Egypt
Situated in the Citadel of Cairo, this mosque was commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha in the 1830s. This Ottoman style mosque, the largest to be built in the first half of the 19th century, with its animated silhouette and twin minarets, is the most visible mosque in Cairo. The large central dome is surrounded by four smaller ones that have a shiny coating which make it one of the first things that catch your eye when approaching the city. Two elegant cylindrical minarets of Turkish type with two balconies and conical caps are situated on the western side of this stunning mosque.
Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei, this is considered one of the most visually stunning mosques of Asia. Combining elements of Mughal and Malay architecture, this mosque was completed in 1958. It is worth visiting both during the day and the night.
Situated on an artificial lagoon on the banks of the Brunei river, this mosque has marble minarets and a dome covered in solid gold! Lit up beautifully at night, and with a small island adorned with a carved boat in the middle of the lagoon, this mosque is unlike any you would have ever seen.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE
The newest mosque on this list, and easily the most opulent, this masterpiece is the largest mosque in UAE. The design draws inspiration from Mughal and Persian architecture as well as elements from the Badshahi mosque in Lahore. Its archways are quintessentially Moorish, and its minarets classically Arabic in design, providing an excellent melting point of designs from around the globe.
Constructed out of pearly white marble, the imposing structure looks regal at any time of the day or night. We would highly recommend coming here both during the day and night to appreciate its grandeur.
The mosque broke several records with its construction, including the largest carpet, the biggest chandelier and the largest marble mosaic in the world. While the interior is undoubtedly gorgeous, one of the most unique shots of the mosque comes from the War memorial across the road with a pond. To make it easy to locate we have included the exact google maps location: click here!!
This list is by no means complete. We have yet to travel to Iran and Uzbekistan which alone have enough stunning mosques that would probably double the size of this list. We will definitely have a part 2 of this blog post once we manage to visit more countries!