Friday Mosque in Esfahan
The dome and minarets of the 16th-century Friday Mosque tower over Esfahan, an industrial center in west central Iran. The capital of the Persian kingdom from 1598 to 1722, the city is notable for its exquisitely decorated mosques and a landmark bridge over the Zayandeh Rud.

Mosque in Malaysia
The Masjid Zahir Mosque, completed in 1912, is in the center of Alur Setar, the capital of the Malaysian state of Kedah. Located near the country’s border with Thailand, Kedah is Malaysia’s most important rice-growing state. Some of the oldest settlements on the Malay Peninsula are here.

Blue Mosque
The exquisite 15th-century Blue Mosque is in the town of Mazar-e Sharif, which lies near Afghanistan’s border with Uzbekistan. Distinguished by its cobalt-blue and turquoise minarets and domes, the mosque is revered by Muslims as the tomb of Ali, son-in-law of Mohammed, the prophet and founder of Islam. Pilgrims have traveled to this mosque since it was first built.

Sultan Mosque, Singapore
At the end of a narrow street stands the Sultan Mosque, the largest mosque in Singapore and the nerve center of the city’s sizeable Muslim minority. The mosque was built in the early 1800s by the last Sultan of Singapore, Iskandar Shah. Each Friday, red carpets are laid at the mosque’s 14 gates to lead worshipers into the green-and-gold marble interior for prayer.

Byzantine Glory of the Hagia Sophia
A 4th-century Christian cathedral before being destroyed by fire, the Hagia Sophia was rebuilt by Emperor Justinian in 537 as a magnificent Byzantine basilica embellished with mosaics and gold. In the 15th century it was transformed into a mosque with the addition of minarets. Today the mosque is a museum.

Glory be to Allah

Al-Muhaymin, The Protector

Lahore’s Red Badshahi Mosque
The minarets and red sandstone of the 17th-century Badshahi Mosque dominate the old section of Lahore, capital of Pakistan’s Punjab Province. From the 11th to the 17th centuries, this eastern Pakistani city was the hub of the Mughal Empire, and after that the center of a Sikh kingdom.

Masjid Jamik Mosque in Sumenep
Sumenep is known as one of the most interesting towns on rugged Madura Island in Jawa Timur. Its Masjid Jamik mosque is noted for its majestic three-tiered roof, as well as for its many Chinese porcelain tiles and ceramics. The mosque is highly regarded among Muslims, who make up the vast majority of the Indonesian population.

Colorful Mosque in Esfahan
Esfahan in central Iran has long been an Islamic cultural center. The city dates from the pre-Islamic era but reached its peak in 1598, after it became the capital of Persia. An impressive mosque in Esfahan is the Masjid-i-shah, or Imperial Mosque. It is one of the most magnificent monuments of Persian architecture, with walls, pillars, vaults, minarets, and dome decorated in light- and dark-blue tiles.

Great Mosque at Kano
The Great Mosque at Kano towers above the walls of the old city in north central Nigeria. About half of all Nigerians are Muslims, and most of those who follow Islam live in the north. Many of the nation’s Muslims combine the basic practices of Islam with traditional native beliefs.

Brunei’s Prized Mosque
An Islamic country, Brunei built this grand mosque in 1958 with revenue from petroleum. The building’s dome is metal, the floors Italian marble, and the exterior walls Shanghai granite. It is Southeast Asia’s largest mosque and a major tourist attraction in the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan.

Sacred Dome of the Rock
Framed in stone archways, Muslim worshipers approach the Dome of the Rock, the 7th-century mosque on Jerusalem’s sacred Temple Mount. The mosque contains many holy relics, including the rock upon which Abraham was to sacrifice his son. A splendid gold dome tops the octagon-shaped building, and the inside is filled with intricate mosaics and carvings.