Grand Mosque in Semarang

Evening View

From Top

Hydrolic Umbrella...

Great Mosque or Masjid Agung Semarang Central Java is a mosque located in the city of Semarang, Central Java province, Indonesia.

This mosque was built in 2001 until 2006. This mosque stands on 10 hectares of land. Grand Mosque was inaugurated by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on November 14, 2006.

Crystal Mosque

Shine...

Crystal Light

The Crystal Mosque or Masjid Kristal is a mosque in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia. The mosque is located at Islamic Heritage Park on the island of Wan Man. The mosque was constructed between 2006 and 2008. It was officially opened on 8 February 2008 by 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu.

However, in a newspaper report of Bernama, on October 26th 2008, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi commented on this building having Chinese characteristics and called on the people to not be cynical about these types of mosques and focus more on the teachings of Islam. He said this because of concern on the Malay people not wanting to share mosque characteristics with the Muslim-Chinese people.

Al Fateh Mosque

inside...

The Al-Fateh Mosque (also known as Al-Fateh Islamic Center & Al Fateh Grand Mosque) (Arabic: مسجد الفاتح‎; transliterated: Masjid al-Fatih) is one of the largest mosques in the world, capable of accommodating over 7,000 worshippers at a time. The mosque is the largest place of worship in Bahrain. It is located next to the King Faisal Highway in Juffair, which is a town located in the capital city of Manama. The mosque very close to the Royal Bahraini Palace, the residence of the king of Bahrain Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah. The huge dome built on top of the Al-Fatih Mosque is made of pure fiberglass. Weighting over 60 t (60,000 kg), the dome is currently the worlds largest fibreglass dome. Al-Fateh now includes the new National Library which opened to the public in 2006. The mosque was built by the late Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa in 1987. It is named after Ahmed Al Fateh, the conqueror of Bahrain.

A court in Orsk, Russia, has fined the imam of the local mosque after he ignored a previous warning from an administrative commission and continued to call prayers before the legally permitted time of 7am, reports the oren.ru website. Equivalent to £10 ($17, €12, or 700 Haitian Gourdes) the 500 ruble fine comes in the wake of repeated complaints by city residents, who objected to the 5:30am loudspeaker-fed adhan (call to prayer) disturbing their children’s sleep.

How can anyone be disturbed by that?

Mosque, Jupiter, Moon

Originally uploaded by PA & AK

A colleague and I have been asking students to follow the moon cycle this month in order to think about different ways of knowing something using perception, emotion, reason and language. Yes, it’s part of a course. The point is, I have been out taking photos and making my own observations.
It seemed appropriate with the Moon and Jupiter being in conjunction, and this being the beginning of Hajj, that I take a photo to celebrate the start of this holiday. This pair have been great to watch this month and I look forward to the return of Saturn. I will drive towards Mecca after the holiday to seek out some dark sky for observing and maybe even some photos. For now, I’ll see you in Tuscany next week.

Mosque, Jupiter, MoonOriginally uploaded by PA & AK

 

A colleague and I have been asking students to follow the moon cycle this month in order to think about different ways of knowing something using perception, emotion, reason and language. Yes, it’s part of a course. The point is, I have been out taking photos and making my own observations.
It seemed appropriate with the Moon and Jupiter being in conjunction, and this being the beginning of Hajj, that I take a photo to celebrate the start of this holiday. This pair have been great to watch this month and I look forward to the return of Saturn. I will drive towards Mecca after the holiday to seek out some dark sky for observing and maybe even some photos. For now, I’ll see you in Tuscany next week.

BABRI MASJID

Babar was the founder of the Mughal dynasty in India. He built a mosque at Ayodhya, where Hindus claim, stood a temple of Ram.

In 1962, there was a movement, spearheaded by Hindu fanatics, to demolish the mosque and build the original temple there. On 6-12-1992, the structure, which was a historic monument, was destroyed, followed be terrorist attacks by Muslims in Bombay.

Now the enquiry commission has come to the conclusion that, it was a conspiracy by leaders of the Hindutwa movement, and not a spontaneous mass movement that resulted in the demolition of Babri Masjid.

Earlier, there used to be Hindu-Muslim riots, in parts of India, but terrorism was practically unknown. All this changed after 6-12-1992. Davood Ibrahim, living in Pakistan, conspired terror strikes against India. Hindu terrorists too became a reality. Black money and illegal arms trade played their own role in this game.

Now, things are out of control.

In today’s paper, details have come, of how the Government of Uttar Pradesh posted police officers, Magistrate etc. sympathetic to their cause, so that none tried to preserve the historic monument when some people climbed up on top of the roof and started pulling it down, in the presence of TV camera !

This is India, our precious democracy.

The Qolşärif mosque

Blue Dome, Blue Sky

Evening View

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 the largest mosque in Russia and, reputedly, in Europe outside Istanbul. As of 2009, reputedly, it’s the second largest mosque in Europe (without Turkey) after Grozny Central Dome Mosque.

Originally, the mosque was built in Kazan Kremlin in the 16th century. It was named after Qolşärif who served there. Qolsharif died with his numerous students while defending Kazan from Russian forces in 1552. It is believed that the building featured minarets, both in the form of cupolas and tents. Its design was traditional for Volga Bulgaria, although elements of early Renaissance and Ottoman architecture could have been used as well. In 1552, during the storm of Kazan it was destroyed by Ivan The Terrible.

Tatar scholars speculate as to whether some elements of Qolşärif mosque can be seen in Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow (8 minarets, a central cupola, not typical for Russian architecture). Since 1996 the mosque has been rebuilt in Kazan Kremlin, although its look is decisively modern. Its inauguration on July 24, 2005 marked the beginning of celebrations dedicated to the Millennium of Kazan.

Several countries contributed to the fund that was set up to build Qolsharif mosque. Namely, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. Qolsharif is considered to be one of the most important symbols of Tatar aspiration to independence and liberty. Nowadays the mosque predominantly serves as Museum of Islam. At the same time during the major Muslim celebrations thousands of people gather there to pray.

The Qolsharif complex was envisioned to be an important cornerstone of Kazan architectural landscape. Besides the main mosque building it includes the library, publishing house and Imam’s office.

Green Lane Mosque

Green Lane Mosque baths end

Green Lane Masjid, commonly referred to as ‘Green Lane Mosque’, was established in the 1970s, is one of Birmingham’s and Britain’s major mosques, and the national headquarters of Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith UK. The organisation aims to provide a platform for the Muslim community to make bonds with and to integrate within the rest of the British society.

The Masjid occupies a prominent corner site in Green Lane, Small Heath, Birmingham, with one of the buildings having been constructed as a public library and baths, designed by local architects Martin & Chamberlain and built in the redbrick and terracotta Gothic-Jacobean style, between 1893 and 1902. It is a Grade II listed building. The complex includes prayer halls for men and women, a community hall, madrasah, library, shop, some accommodation, and provides funeral services to the local Muslim community.

It was also one of the main mosques that featured in Channel 4’s Dispatches programme Undercover Mosques, which documented Islamist extremism in British mosques including preachers advocating violence, anti-semitism, sexism and homophobia. West Midlands Police subsequently investigated the programme, feeling there may have been a mis-representation of the mosque, that could have incited religious hatred, though Ofcom later reported that the programme had “accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context”.

Masjid Kubah Emas

Golden Dome...

Front View

Night Vision

Interior

Dian Al-Mahri mosque is a mosque built on the edge of the roadway Meruyung-Labu in District Limo, Depok. The mosque is in addition to being a place of worship for Muslims pray everyday, this mosque complex also become a family tourist area and attract many people because the dome-dome is made of gold. Also because of the vast area available and freely accessible to the public, so the place is often a family vacation destination or just be a place to rest.

This mosque was built by Hj. Dian Djuriah Maimun Al Rashid, Banten businessman, who had bought this land since 1996. The mosque is built since 2001 and was completed around the end of 2006. The mosque is open to the public on December 31, 2006, coinciding with the Eid al-Adha is the second time that year. With 50 hectares area, the building of this mosque occupies area of 60 x 120 meters or about 8000 square meters. The mosque is itself able to accommodate about 20,000 worshipers approximately. This mosque area is often referred to as the region most magnificent mosques in Southeast Asia.

Masjid Dian Al Mahri has 5 domes. A main dome and the small dome 4. Uniquely, the gilded dome of the thickness of 2 to 3 millimeters and the mosaic crystal. Form the main dome of Taj Mahal-like dome. The dome has a diameter below 16 meters, 20 meters in diameter middle, and 25 meters high. While a small dome 4 has a diameter less than 6 feet, 7 meters middle, high and 8 meters. Also in this mosque there are chandeliers imported directly from Italy weighing 8 tons.
In addition, relief decoration in the place of priests also made of 18 carat gold. So was the fence on the second floor and decorative calligraphy on the ceiling of the mosque. While the crown pillar of the mosque which amounted to 168 pieces layered materials or remaining prado gold.
In general, following the typology of the mosque architecture mosque architecture in the Middle East with characteristic dome, minaret (tower), the page in the (plaza), and the use of decorative detail or decoration with geometric elements and obelisks, to strengthen the Islamic character of the architecture. Another characteristic is the entrance gate of the portal and geometric decoration and ornament obelisk.
Page in size 45 x 57 meters and can accommodate 8000 audience. Six towers (minarets) hexagon-shaped or hexagonal, which symbolizes the harmony of faith, rose as high as 40 meters. The six stone clad tower of gray granite imported from Italy with a circular ornament. At its peak there is a mosaic-covered dome of 24-carat gold. While the dome refers to the form that is widely used dome mosques in Persia and India. Five dome symbolizes the pillars of Islam, all clad in gold-plated mosaic of 24 carat material imported from Italy.
In its interior, the mosque presents the pillars soaring to create a grand-scale space. Space mosque dominated by monochrome color beige main ingredient, to give the character a quiet room and warm. Material made of marble imported from Turkey and Italy. In the middle of the room, hanging lamps made of gold-plated brass weighing 2.7 tons, that the process worked experts from Italy.

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS SHOCKING STORY IN THE U.S. MEDIA?…..NO!

The following article is almost unbelievable and potentially deadly for our nation.  And while it poses a very serious and detrimental danger to the United States, I have not heard anything about it from the mainstream media.

The information was obtained from Israel National News and is located at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/134466, which thankfully to the Lord, DOES NOT worship Barack Obama nor props him up on some sort of throne.

With that said, take a look at what they have discovered about the guy sitting in the White House.

Obama ‘Reaches Out’ by Naming ‘Devout’ Muslims to Security Posts

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

(IsraelNN.com) U.S. President Barack Obama continues to “reach out to Muslims” by appointing them to key security posts amid charges he wrongly ignored internal Muslim terror. One recent appointee was harshly criticized for appearing on a British-based television station whose host is a member of a radical Muslim group.

His “reaching out Muslims” speech in Cairo last June has been followed by action, the latest being this past week’s swearing-in of a Muslim rights advocate to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, shortly after the Fort Hood massacre. HSAC members are involved in expertise on national security.

The new member is Syrian-born Kareem Shora, who was the national executive director of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination (ADC), which previously has called on the United States to stop providing Israel with weapons because of alleged “atrocities” against Arabs. Her background for her new security post is having been a legal counsel and advocate for Muslim civil rights.

She also has been a frequent guest on the pro-Hamas al-Jazeera satellite network.

Shora, who has been described as a “devout Muslim, joins another devout member of the faith, Arif Alikhan, who was appointed as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development in the Department of Homeland Security. His qualifications for the job were listed as having been in charge of public safety in Los Angeles during his term of deputy mayor. One of his actions was to remove the plan that tracked Muslims in the city who were suspected of terrorist activities.

Americans have been jolted by several lethal attacks and confrontations with Muslims over the past year, including a plot to attack synagogues and down U.S. military aircraft, the manufacture of bombs, an alleged attempt to explode a Texas skyscraper, a plot to blow up malls in Boston, and last month’s Fort Hood massacre by a Muslim psychiatrist who was an officer in the army.

A desire to avoid the appearance of labeling all Muslims as terrorists lunged out from the shadows last month after President Obama faced criticism for not taking seriously the threat of Muslim terrorism within American society as well as in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Several months ago, President Obama appointed Dalia Mogahed, a “devout Muslim,” to his Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She quickly came under fire for appearing in a telephone interview on a London-based Muslim television station, whose host is a member of an extreme Islamic group.

She said was unaware of the affiliations of her host, whose program included questions and comments favoring the implementation of Islamic Law (“sharia”).

Mogahed explained that she did not hang up the phone in the middle of the interview because “I assumed that very few people would watch this show but that doing something more dramatic would bring more attention.”

In the current issue of Newsweek, columnist Jacob Weisberg, citing former Secretary of State Colin Powell, wrote that “Obama’s [Muslim] heritage feeds a broader suspicion that he is too casual about the threat from America’s Islamist enemies.”

The journalist added, “With the massacre in Texas, Obama now confronts something that George W. Bush did not face in the years after September 11—not just a major act of domestic terrorism, but one struck from inside our security apparatus…. America does not face a threat from the perversion of faith in general. We face a threat from the perversion of one faith in particular.”

End

I want to encourage all of you to pray and to draw ever so close to the Son of the Living God, the LORD JESUS CHRIST……THE ONLY SAVIOR.

By all appearances, judgment seems to be heading for the United States of America.  As a watchman giving warning, I am urging everyone who is reading this to please follow the Lord’s Word from Isaiah chapter 55 verses 6-7 which is as follows:

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

May we all take heed to this warning while we still have the chance, because a time is coming when we will not.

The H1N1 Swine Flu virus knows no borders,has no boundaries, and has absolutely no respect for religious or cultural traditions.

This year at the annual Hajj to Mecca,  Four foreign pilgrims have died of swine flu, the Saudi Health Ministry announced on Saturday.

The Saudi Arabia Health Ministry  said none of the four foreign victims had been vaccinated against the H1N1 virus, as has been recommended by The Health Ministry.

An official statement released by the ministry said all had underlying health problems, including cancer and respiratory illness, AFP news agency reported.

Three of the victims died in Medina and one in Mecca.

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=128688&d=22&m=11&y=200Over

The BBC is reporting that….up to three million Muslims from around the world take part in the holy pilgrimage every year, but health officials have expressed fears that it could provide a breeding ground for the virus.

Authorities had tried to prepare for any outbreaks by installing thermal cameras at airports and sea terminals, deploying 15,000 additional health workers and ensuring hundreds of extra beds were available.

The Hajj (Arabic: حج‎ Ḥaǧǧ) is a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world,^[1] and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a moral obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah (God).^[2] The pilgrimage occurs from the 7th to 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj)

The Health Minister has reported that there are 16 other people that have been diagnosed with swine flu and four remain in hospital in “critical condition”.

He added 12 others had recovered following treatment.

The Saudi government has recommended the elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases and children skip the Hajj this year.

The Saudi government has said all pilgrims need a certificate of vaccination before they can apply for a visa.

This is real people, and this disease is spreading worldwide,at a rapid pace.

I encourage everyone to get a H1N1 swine flu shot as soon as you can.The reports of any side effects are exaggerated, and will cause millions of people to perish from the lack of the vaccine.

Any paranoia surrounding any alledged complications from the shot are totally unsubstantiated, and if those people out there insist on not receiving the vaccine, then we as a society should only expect more mounting mass casualties from the swine flu, as exhibited this weekend, unfortunately in Mecca.

If it can happen in Mecca, it can happen anywhere.

Please everyone, wash your hands, and go get the shot.

To follow the full story, click on the links for my sources below…

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iDApMAhUln5jw-ffhzIZCh0I_-bgD9C41MJ00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8372378.stm

http://www.saudiembassy.net/latest_news/news11210903.aspx

Lala Mustafa Pasa Mosque

Right side

The west front of Reims Cathedral

The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (Turkish: Lala Mustafa Paşa Camii) originally known as the Saint Nicolas Cathedral and later as the Ayasofya (Saint Sophia) Mosque of Magusa is the largest medieval building in Famagusta, 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 remains a mosque to this day.

The French Lusignan dynasty ruled as Kings of Cyprus from 1190 to 1489 and had brought with them the latest French taste in architecture, notably developments in Gothic architecture.

The cathedral was constructed from 1300CE to c.1400CE 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 constructon.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. Nicolas Cathedral in Famagusta.

The building is constructed in a flamboyant 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 Rheims 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.

The upper parts of the cathedral’s two towers suffered from earthquakes and were badly damaged during the Ottoman bombardments of 1571; they have never been repaired. With the Venetians defeated and Famagusta fallen by August of 1571, Cyprus fell under Ottoman control and the cathedral was converted into a mosque and renamed the “St.Sophia Mosque of Gazimagosa”.

Islamic tradition holds that the depiction of humans, animals and other faiths in their religious architecture is sinful and so almost all of the statues, crucifixes, frescoes, paintings, tombs, stained glass windows and the altar were removed or plastered over. The Gothic structure was preserved however and a few tombs can still be identified in the north aisle.

In 1954 its name was changed again to the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque after the commander of the 1570 Ottoman conquest, who is famous for the gruesome torture of Marco Baragadino, the City’s Venetian defender. Baragadino was beaten, and had his ears and nose cut off before being publicly humiliated and flayed alive, after Mustafa Pasha renegged on his amnesty pledge to Baragadino, which had secured the city’s surrender following a brutal 10-month siege in which 6,000 Christian defenders held off an army of more than 100,000 Ottoman Turks.

Moschea Rome Italia

Amazing inside

The Mosque of Rome is located in the north of town at the foot of Monti Parioli in the area ’s water Acetosa (border with the sports facilities of the same name) and is home to the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy ..

È la più grande d’ Europa (sorge su 30.000 m² di terreno e può ospitare migliaia di fedeli), e fornisce, oltre che un punto d’aggregazione e di riferimento in campo religioso, anche servizi culturali e sociali variamente connessi all’appartenenza alla fede islamica : celebrazione di matrimoni, assistenza per i funerali, esegesi , convegni, e molto altro. It is the largest d ‘Europe (located on 30,000 sq meters of land and can accommodate thousands of the faithful) and provides, as well as a point of aggregation and reference in the religious, cultural and social services also variously related to membership faith Islam: marriages, assistance for funerals, exegesis, conferences, and much more.

The mosque was commissioned and funded by King Faisal of ‘Saudi Arabia, founder of the Saudi royal family, and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, ie Mecca and Medina. I lavori furono progettati e diretti da Paolo Portoghesi , Vittorio Gigliotti e Sami Mousawi . The works were designed and directed by Paul Portuguese, Vittorio Gigliotti and Sami Mousawi.

Come si legge nell’epigrafe esterna, la sua costruzione ha richiesto più di vent’anni: la donazione del terreno fu deliberata dal Consiglio Comunale romano nel 1974 , ma la prima pietra fu posta dieci anni dopo, nel 1984 (anno 1405 dell’ Egira ), alla presenza dell’allora Presidente della Repubblica Sandro Pertini , e l’inaugurazione avvenne il 21 giugno 1995 , giorno del solstizio d’estate. As one reads the epigraph outside, its construction took more than two decades: the donation of land was deliberated by the City Council the Roman Empire in 1974, but the first stone was laid a decade later, in 1984 (the year 1405 ’s AH ), the presence of then President Sandro Pertini, and the museum opened on June 21 1995, the day of the solstice of summer.

In structure, highly integrated in the natural surroundings – from which emerges, but without friction – affect the mix of modern thinking of the structure and curved lines everywhere (the great prayer hall certainly draws a forest – or an oasis, with its columns and three stems), the use of light to create an atmosphere of meditation and the use of materials that produce colors typically Roman, like the travertine and terracotta pink. L’apparato decorativo, assai discreto nell’ampiezza dello spazio che lo contiene, è costituito da ceramiche invetriate di colori delicati. The decoration, very discreet nell’ampiezza space that contains it, consists of delicate color glazed pottery. Il tema coranico ripetuto è Allah è luce . The theme of the Koran Allah is repeated light.

By 667 BC, a Greek ruler by name of Byzas, from Megara, established his kingdom here, on the advice of an oracle of Delphi, and named it Byzantium. But it was besieged by the Romans in AD 196, and became part of the Roman Empire. The ravaged city was rebuilt by the Roman Emperor, Septimus Severus, and temporarily given the name of ‘Augusta Antonina’. But in 306 AD, Emperor Constantine the Great made Byzantium the capital of the entire Roman Empire, and from then on, the city was called Constantinople. The Byzantium Empire was more or less influenced by Greek culture, and was also a hub of Greek Orthodox Christianity, which resulted in the construction of several magnificent Christian architectural wonders, the prominent among them being the Hagia Sophia, which remained the world’s largest cathedral till 1850.

The Roman Empire passed through much turmoil due to attack from various sources, especially the Barbarians, not to mention their internal problems, and finally, in 532 AD, during the reign of Justinian I, the city was totally destroyed due to anti government riots. Though much favored for its ideal location, that made trade and transport between continents an easy affair, this very factor also proved to be the doom of Constantinople. For several hundred years hence, it had to face a lot of assault from the Arabs, Nomadic, Persians, as well as the Fourth crusaders, who periodically occupied it.

At last, in 1453, Constantinople was attacked and conquered by the courageous Ottoman Turks led by Sultan Mehmet II, who renamed it Istanbul. It continued to function not just as an important cultural, political and commercial hub, but also as their main centre for military operations too, till World War I, after which it was occupied by the Allies.

Sultan Mehmet II was supposed to have given the city a cosmopolitan social outlook. After deporting the remaining Byzantine population, a great many changes were made to the existing architecture in general. The old world Christian city was gradually transformed into a Muslim conurbation as the Emperor started rebuilding all churches so as to convert them to mosques. The great mosque and the Fatih College were built on the old burial grounds of the erstwhile Byzantine Emperors at the Church of the Holy Apostles. The Hagia Sophia too was converted to a mosque. But to his credit, the Sultan held a cosmopolitan outlook and for the greater part, allowed people of all faiths to settle in the vast city, and made effective use of their varied skills. Tolerance was a great virtue that was practiced by Sultan Mehmet II, and it was reflected all over the empire.Istanbul acquired a status of great importance in the eyes of all Muslims, after the conquest of Egypt, and its glory increased from leaps and bounds in the hands of its various rulers, many of whom were great patrons of art and architecture.

Although the capital of Turkey was changed from Istanbul to Ankara by Kemal Ataturk, in 1923, Istanbul still retained its attractions and continued to expand majestically. But gradually, due to the mass exodus of the various nationalities, especially after the war between Greece and Turkey, it became a prominent Muslim nation.

The many historic monuments of yesteryears, that are to be found there, like the various museums, castles, palaces, mosques, churches, etc contribute greatly to the increase in the tourism industry today. In fact, many of its historic architectures have been added to the UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites. Though no more a capital city, Istanbul, which is considered to be Turkey’s cultural and financial center, still retains its old world attraction and continues to generate its own individual history through out the ages.

sumber: http://www.hagia-sophia.net/history.htm

http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

Chefchaouen or Chaouen is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name, and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue.

Chefchaouen is situated in the Rif Mountains, just inland from Tangier and Tetouan. The city was founded in 1471, as a small fortress which still exists to this day, by Moorish exiles from Spain led by Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rached El Alami to fight the Portuguese invasions of northern Morocco.

It was known as one of the main concentrations of Moriscos and Jews who sought refuge in this mountainous city after the Spanish Reconquista in medieval times.

Chefchaouen or Chaouen, as it is often called by Moroccans, is a popular tourist destination because of its proximity to Tangier and Ceuta. The name refers to the shape of the mountain tops above the town that look like the two horns (chaoua) of a goat. “Chef Chaouen” literally means “look at the horns”. There are approximately two hundred hotels catering to the summer influx of European tourists. One distinction possessed by Chefchaouen is its blue-rinsed houses and buildings, a tradition that comes from the town’s former Jewish population.

Chefchaouen is a popular shopping destination as well, as it offers many native handicrafts that are not available elsewhere in Morocco, such as wool garments and woven blankets. The goat cheese native to the area is also popular with tourists.

The countryside around it has a reputation for being a prolific source of kif (marijuana). The Chefchaouen region is one of the main producers of cannabis in Morocco. Hashish is subsequently sold all over town, but is mostly the domain of native Chaouenis.

The growing tourist industry is geared especially towards Spanish tourists, who are especially numerous during great Catholic feasts like Seminar Santa and Christmas.

There are a number of distinct mosques in the town. Aside from the mosque at Place Uta Hammam in the medina, there is also a mosque dedicated to the patron saint of Northern Morocco’s Jebalah region, Moulay Abdeslam Ben Mchich Alami. His tomb and the village surrounding it is by the way an hour’s drive or so from Chefchaouen on the old road to Larache.

Chefchaouen is home to the only octagonal minaret in Islam. There is also a ruined mosque built by the Spanish, with stairs still in the tower. In Wikipedia

THIS IS CERTAINLY WORTH READING AND PLEASE, SEND IT AROUND THE WORLD.

This is one of the best explanations of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read. The author of this email is Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well-known and well-respected psychiatrist.

A German’s View on Islam

A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. ‘Very few people were true Nazis,’ he said, ‘but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories…’

We are told again and again by ‘experts’ and ‘talking heads’ that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.

The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the ’silent majority,’ is cowed and extraneous.

Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China’s huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.

And who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were ‘peace loving’?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points:

Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.

Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don’t speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late. As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts — the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on, is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world-wide, read this and think about it, and send it on – before it’s too late.

Emanuel Tanay, M.D.

2980 Provincial St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Masjid Fatih

rooftop

The Fatih Mosque (Turkish: ‘Fatih Camii’) or Conqueror’s Mosque in English) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was one of the largest examples of Turkish-Islamic architecture in Istanbul and represented an important stage in the development of classic Turkish architecture.

The Fatih Mosque was constructed by order of Fatih Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror from 1463-1470, on the site of the former Byzantine Church of the Holy Apostles, whose ruins served as a quarry to supply building materials for the new mosque. The architect was Atik Sinan, about whom little is known.

The original complex included a set of well-planned buildings constructed around the mosque. They include eight medrese, library, hospital, hospice, caravanserai, market, hamam, primary school and public kitchen (imaret) which served food to the poor. Various türbe were added at a later dates. The original complex covered an almost square area 325 meters on a side, extending along the Golden Horn side of Fevzipasa Street..

The original mosque was badly damaged in the 1509 earthquake, after that it was repaired, but was then damaged again by earthquakes in 1557 and 1754 and repaired yet again. It was then completely destroyed by an earthquake on 22 May 1766 when the main dome was collapsed and the walls were irreparably damaged. The current mosque (designed on a completely different plan) was completed in 1771 under Sultan Mustafa III by the architect, Mimar Mehmet Tahir.

There has been considerable speculation about the original design of Faitih Mosque, which contemporary accounts compared with the Hagia Sophia. The courtyard, main entrance portal and lower portions of the minarets remain from the original construction, with the remainder consisting of the 1771 Baroque reconstruction.

The present interior of the Fatih Mosque is essentially a copy of earlier designs invented by Sinan re-used repeatedly by himself and his successors throughout Istanbul (this technique is emulative of the Hagia Sophia). The 26 meter diameter center dome is supported by four semi-domes on each axis supported by four large marble columns. There are two minarets each with twin galleries. The calligraphy within the mosque and the mimbar exhibit a Baroque influence, but the white tiles of inferior quality are a poor comparison with the İznik tiled splendor of mosques such as the Rüstem Pasha Mosque. The mihrab may date from the original construction.

Sabanci Merkez Camii

Sabanci Merkez Camii

Hall of Camii

NIce View of Sabanci

The Sabancı Mosque (Turkish: Sabancı Merkez Camii) in Adana is the largest mosque in Turkey. The exterior of the mosque is similar to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue mosque) in Istanbul while the interior decoration is similar to the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne.

Sabanci Central Mosque, which went into service in 1998, is built on a total of 52,600 square meter of land and has a closed area of 6,600 square meters.

Sabanci Central Mosque was built jointly by Turkish Religious Foundation and Sabanci Foundation. The proprietorship of the mosque belongs to Adana Religious Affairs Foundation and its usage rights have been transferred to Adana Provincial Office of Mufti.

Sabanci Central Mosque built on the intersection of the main arteries, railway lines and roads that connect Adana to the surrounding cities and towns, has almost become the symbol of the city with its high minarets visible from almost anywhere in the city. The Mosque, which has a capacity to offer service to 28,500 people, is famous for being one of the biggest mosques in the Balkans and in the Middle East.

Located on the banks of Seyhan River, Sabanci Mosque has a majestic structure with 6 minarets. There are eight pillars carrying the main dome that has a diameter of 32 meters. The height of the main dome is 54 meters from floor level. The four minarets, which are adjacent to the main building are each 99 meters high and the other two minarets located at the semi-enclosed porch are each 75 meters high.

The Mosque has all facilities including 4 classrooms, 10 itikaf rooms, rooms of imam and muezzin, discussion rooms and the fountain.

All of the calligraphic works in the Mosque belong to the Calligrapher Huseyin Kutlu. The tile work of the Mosque has been done by using Iznik tile work technique. Four big panels facing Kiblah are the world’s biggest mosque panels in size.

All painting and tile patterns in the Mosque belong to Architect Nakkas M. Semih Irtes. The niche, pulpit, platform, entrance and other doors are all made of marble and they have been designed in the style that is seen in classical Ottoman mosques and have been built by Nihat Kartal.

The wooden doors are built in kundekari style and have been built by Ahmet Yilcay, all stained glass works have been done by Abdulkadir Aydin, and muqarnas works have been done by Ali Turan.

The minarets have been built as armoured concrete which was produced by mixing white cement and crushed stone of ivory color.

The internal and external illumination projects and inner sound system projects belong to Philips. Additionally, with the central radio system built in the minaret with elevator and realized by Aselsan, sermons are made available to 275 mosques located within an area of 60 km diameter by central broadcast system.

On the west side of the Mosque, there is a classical and a digital library as a separate annex, open for researchers and the public.

Honey sherbet is offered at Sebil Fountain on special religious days.

Ali Pasha Mosque

during evening

Ali Pasha’s Mosque was constructed in Sarajevo during 1560-61 as a vakuf (legacy or perpetual endowment) of Hadim Ali-pasha, the former Ottoman governor of the Budapest administrative district (budimski begler-beg) and the Bosnian district (pašaluk). The mosque was built according to the classical Istanbul architectural style. The dome covers the prayer area and three small domes cover the cloister. Because of its noble proportions it stands at the top of the scale of all sub-dome mosques that have been constructed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the framework of the complex there is a domed burial site (turbe) with two sarcophagus of Avdo Sumbul (d.1915) and Behdžet Mutevelić (d.1915), Gajret activists who died in the dungeons of Arad. The Ali Pasha Mosque was heavily damaged by Serbian forces during the conflict of the early 1990s, especially the dome. The most recent renovation of the mosque occurred in 2004 and in January 2005, the Commission to Preserve National Monuments issued a decision to add the Ali Pasha Mosque to the list of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Islamis center of Washington

The Islamic Center of Washington is a mosque and Islamic cultural center in Washington, D.C., United States. It is located on Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue just east of the bridge over Rock Creek. When it opened in 1957 it was the largest Muslim place of worship in the Western Hemisphere. Some 6000 people attend prayers there each Friday.

The center was originally conceived in 1944 when the Turkish ambassador Münir Ertegün died and there was no mosque to hold his funeral in. The Washington diplomatic community played a leading role in the effort to have a mosque constructed. Support came from most of the Islamic nations of the world who donated money, decorations, and craftsmen to the project. Support for the project also came from the American-Muslim community. The site was purchased in 1946 and the corner stone was laid on January 11, 1949. The building was designed by Italian architect Mario Rossi and was dedicated on June 28 1957 with President Dwight D. Eisenhower in attendance. The main prayer hall of the center is covered by Persian carpets dedicated by the late Shah of Iran. The center continues to be controlled by a board of governors made up of various ambassadors. Around the building are arrayed the flags of the Islamic nations of the world.

The mosque has been visited by many high profile dignitaries, including several presidents. The highest profile visit was by President George W. Bush on September 17 2001 only days after the attacks of September 11.On national television, Bush quoted from the Koran and worked to assure Americans that vast majority of Muslims are peaceful.

In addition to the mosque, the center contains a library and classrooms where courses on Islam and the Arabic language are taught.

The mosque was one of three buildings taken over in the 1977 Hanafi Siege. Muslim gunmen holding hostages made several demands, including the demand that the movie Mohammad, Messenger of God be destroyed because they considered it sacrilegious.”

Tenn. man gets 14 years for bombing mosque

A federal judge is sentencing a man who firebombed a mosque in Tennessee to 14 years in prison. Michael Golden and 2 other men pleaded guilty to burni … more

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