Kuwait City, Kuwait
Mosque in Kuwait City, Kuwait
The Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in Kuwait, in the heart of Kuwait City near the Gulf shore, opposite Seif Palace. Building began in 1979 and was completed on 1 Shawwal 1407 AH, Eid al-Fitr of 1987, at the request of Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, to a design by the Iraqi architect Mohamed Makiya inspired by Andalusian and Islamic architecture. The site covers 45,000 square metres, about 20,000 of them the building itself, the rest courtyards and walkways. The square main prayer hall is 72 metres wide and holds 10,000 worshippers, with teak doors and daylight from 144 windows, and a separate women's hall holds about 950. The dome, 26 metres across and 43 metres high, is decorated with the 99 names of God, and the minaret at the north-west corner is in Andalusian style. The mosque has a 350-square-metre library of Islamic reference works and documents and is run by the Ministry of Awqaf. On the 27th night of Ramadan around 170,000 people pray in its courtyards, the largest prayer gathering in the country.
The mosque offers guided tours in several languages, and the guard may ask you to come back at a set tour time. Modest dress is required; abayas are available for women and shoes come off. Avoid prayer times and Fridays. Allow an hour. It is close to Souq Mubarakiya and the Kuwait National Museum.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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