The Mosque

The Mosque

Sacred buildings

This is the Great Mosque of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It was built to enclose the Kabba, the holiest shrine in Islam. The Kabba is the black cube in the centre.

Multiple Choice

What COUNTRY is the Great Mosque in?

• Saudi Arabia

• Mecca

• Medina

• Egypt

What is a mosque?

• The mosque is the sacred building or place of worship for Muslims.

• It is a place to gather for prayers, to study and to celebrate festivals such as Ramadan.

• It can also be used to house schools and community centres.

• You will often see the the symbol of Islam (crescent moon & star) on the outside of a mosque.

Multiple Choice

Which of these religious symbols would you see on a mosque?

Multiple Select

Which ONE of these is the mosque MOSTLY used for?

• prayer

• education

• festivals

• weddings

Features - MIHRAB

• Each mosque has a prayer room with a wall marked with a “mihrab” (in the picture) indicating the direction of Mecca, which Muslims should face when praying.

• A typical mosque also includes a minaret, a dome and a place to wash (ablutions area) before prayers.

Features - minaret

• Each mosque has at least one MINARET.

• The word "minaret" comes from the Arabic "manarah", which means lighthouse.

• Before the five daily prayers, a Muslim crier, or "muezzin", stands at the top of the minaret and calls the worshippers to prayer, a ritual which is over 1,400 years old.

• The call to prayer is sung in Arabic and is called the Adhan

This is a famous mosque in Istanbul in Turkey. It is called the Blue Mosque. It was built in the early 17th century. This mosque has SIX MINARETS which you can clearly see in the photo.

Please listen to the adhan being performed in the city of Sarajevo in Bosnia in Eastern Europe in the video on the next slide

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Multiple Choice

What is the function of the minaret?

• shows the direction of Mecca

• it is where the call to prayer is sung from

• it is the area for washing before prayer

Multiple Choice

What is the name for the call to prayer?

• minaret

• adhan

• muezzin

Multiple Choice

What language in the call to prayer sung in?

• Arabic

• English

• Hebrew

Multiple Choice

How many minarets does the Blue Mosque in Istanbul have?

• 2

• 4

• 6

Feature - Dome

• The dome, or "qubba", is often placed directly above the main prayer hall as a symbol of both the vaults of heaven and the sky.

• Early mosques had a small dome taking up part of the roof near the mihrab. As time passed, bigger domes were built, some of which encompassed the entire roof above the prayer hall.

Some domes are very simple and straightforward and others are beautifully designed such as this one at the Jameh Mosque in Iran.

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of the dome?

• shows the direction of Mecca

• it is where the call to prayer is sung from

• it symbolises the vaults of heaven

Feature - Ablutions area

• Before prayer, Muslims perform ritual washing, or “wudu”, in the ablutions area

• Ablution means a ceremonial or ritual washing and is common in many religions, particularly Islam & Hinduism

• Larger mosques have an ablutions fountain in their entryways or courtyards

Watch the video on the next slide to see the different steps Muslims follow to perform the ritual washing (wudu)

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Multiple Choice

What is the function of the ablutions area?

• shows the direction of Mecca

• it is where the call to prayer is sung from

• it is the area for washing before prayer

Multiple Choice

According to the video, how many times should a Muslim wash their hands during wudu?

• 1

• 2

• 3

Multiple Choice

According to the video, how many times should a Muslim wash their ears during wudu?

• 1

• 2

• 3

Prayer hall

• The prayer hall does not have seats as Muslims pray on the floor

• Most prayer halls have marks on the carpet to show where people can put their prayer mats

• Muslims prayer is communal and is done in rows

• A man called the imam leads the prayer from a platform at the front of the hall

Did you know?

• Muslims can go to the mosque everyday but Friday is the special day of the week when it is compulsory to go!

• Mosques do not have any statues or images but might have some Arabic calligraphy with text from the Quran or some geometric or floral designs

• The crescent moon & star symbol is frequently seen in mosques

• You must take off your shoes when you enter a mosque!

Mosques in Ireland

There are a small number of mosques in Ireland. The two most well known are this one in Clonskeagh and one in town around the South Circular Road.

In the next few slides there are 3 very short videos and questions about some famous mosques around the world. Please watch, answer the questions and then choose the mosque you think would be most interesting to visit!

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Multiple Choice

What country is the Nasir al-Mulk mosque in?

• Iraq

• Iran

• Syria

Multiple Choice

What colour is the Nasir al-Mulk mosque commonly called called?

• purple

• pink

• blue

Multiple Choice

What is unusual about the Nasir al-Mulk mosque?

• it has no dome

• it has Roman arches

• it has stained glass windows

Multiple Choice

This mosque is called the Shah Cheragh. What does Shah Cheragh this mean in English?

• god of the light

• queen of the light

• king of the light

Multiple Choice

What was the original purpose of the Shah Cheragh before it became a mosque?

• a burial site for an important Muslim figure

• a Hindu temple

• a palace for the King of Persia (Iran)

Poll

Which of the mosques would you most like to visit?

• The Blue Mosque in Istanbul

• The Pink Mosque in Iran

• The Glass Mosque in Iran

Poll

How well do you think you understand the main functions of a mosque from what you learned today?

• Very well

• Pretty well

• Not well at all!

You are finished, well done!