The mosque is the holy place of worship in the religion of Islam. Over time, as the Muslim empire expanded, mosques gained a little more important than that. Each emperor would spend an enormous amount of money on creating mosques that were architectural wonders of the time (and even considered some of the most beautiful works of architecture to date) and these mosques were built all around the empire. They have gained enormous importance in Muslim culture and are a symbol of their cultural heritage. Today we have compiled a list of the 10 largest mosques in the world below:
10. Baitul Mukarram National Mosque
The majestic mosque located in Decca, Bangladesh is the 10th largest mosque in the world. It is built over an area of 21000 square meters with the accommodation of 40,000 worshipers.
The architectural design is an amalgam of the traditional mosque and some new modern features. It was constructed in 1968.
9. Jamia Mosque
It was built in the Muslim era of the subcontinent by the famous emperor Shah Jahan, the mosque was constructed at a cost of a whopping 10 Million rupees.
It is located in Delhi, and as the name suggests in the Central Mosque of the city. It is 80m high and can accommodate approximately 25000 worshippers.
8. Sheikh Zahid Mosque
Named after the President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and located in the capital of UAE, Abu Dhabi, the mosque is the 8th largest mosque in the world. Spread over an area of 22,000 square meters and accommodation for approximately 40,000 worshipers, it is a highly spacious design.
It was designed with inspiration from Mughal architecture and boasts plenty of unique features of its own with a total construction cost of $545 Million USD.
7. Badshahi Mosque
Famously known as the “Royal Mosque” among tourists, constructed during the era of emperor Aurangzeb, Badshahi Mosque is a perfect epitome of the Mughal culture with tourists visiting from all corners of the world.
The mosque spreads over 29867.2 square meters and can wrap in approximately 5000 worshipers. It can be rightly said that the Badshahi Mosque is counted as one of the greatest holy places in the world.
6. Faisal Mosque
Every mosque or holy shrine is renowned for depicting ancient cultural values but when it comes to a model of contemporary architecture, Faisal Mosque serves as a beautiful example.
It was designed by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay and was completed in 1986 during the reign of General Zia. It covers an area of approximately 43295.8 square meters. having the capacity to handle 300,000 worshipers. What adds to the beauty of the mosque is the perfect location in the north of the capital city of Islamabad – Pakistan, just beside the Margalla Hills.
5. The Hassan II Mosque
Constructed in the modern era of 1993, The Hassan II Mosque was designed by a French Architect, Michael Pineau, and has the tallest minaret in the world and is located in Casablanca (Morocco).
The mosque is spread over an area of 90,000 square meters and has an accommodation space of 105,000 worshipers. It was constructed at a total cost of $400-$700 million.
4. Istiqlal Mosque
Being the largest mosque in South East Asia, Ishtiqlal Mosque covers an area of about 95000-meter sq and can capacitate almost 120,000 worshipers. It was completed in 1978 in the city of Jakarta.
Being one of the largest mosques in South East Asia, the mosque has seven entrances that symbolized the seven heavens in Islamic cosmology.
3. Imam Reza Shrine
Located in Iran, it is the largest holy mosque by dimensions (267,079 square meters) having the second largest capacity for 700,000 worshipers.
The idea of its huge structure can be well understood by the fact that it contains a whole museum and a library, Razavi Institute of Islamic Sciences, a dining hall for pilgrims, and four seminaries inside it.
2. Al-Masjid-Aa-Nabawi
Indeed the most commonly known mosque in the world is Masjid Al-Nabvi due to its significance which arises from the fact that it was built by the greatest of human beings, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), inside Suaida Arabia, during the era of his Prophethood in 622 AD.
It is spread over an area of 400-500 square meters. and can capacitate 1000,000 worshippers who visit from all over the world. The architecture of the mosque is a hybrid of Islamic, Ottoman, Classical, and contemporary styles. It has two floors with the main prayer hall occupying the entire first hall.
1. Masjid-Al-Haram
Masjid Al Haram is the largest mosque in the world, located in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The mosque surrounds the Kaaba, spreading over a total area of 4,008,020 square meters and a total accommodation space of 4 million worshippers. It is the center of the Islamic world and millions of people come to visit the mosque each year.
Honorable Mentions
- Great Mosque of Surabaya (Indonesia)
- Saleh Mosque (Yemen)
Did we miss any of the largest mosques in the world on this list? Feel free to leave a comment below!
