Homes of Worship: Qatar State Grand Mosque

Qatar sits on a peninsula within the Persian Gulf with Saudi Arabia to the west as their solely neighboring nation. Over the previous 30 years, Qatar’s inhabitants has grown over four-and-half instances to over 2.8 million, however solely 10% are locals. The remaining are expatriates from international locations together with India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Egypt. Nearly all of Qataris are Salafi Muslims and their largest mosque, with a capability of 30,000 congregants, is the Qatar State Grand Mosque.

Also called Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque, the Qatar State Grand Mosque, the nationwide mosque of Qatar, is a mile from the japanese coast within the metropolis of Doha and is known as after Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, founding father of the Wahhabi motion (a fundamentalist motion of Sunni Islam). The mosque is 175,164 sq. meters, equal to a full 24 soccer fields. Inside, the mosque has a central chamber that may maintain 11,000 males, a separate enclosure for ladies which accommodates 1,200 at a time, and a courtyard that holds 30,000 and is used for Friday prayer. The mosque additionally incorporates a library and areas for lectures and lessons.

The mosque has a conventional architectural design following the likes of Al Qebeb Mosque, which has 46 domes and although it was in-built 1878, it stands with out ever needing main repairs. The Grand Mosque, opened in 2011, is designed equally with 90 domes. However as a contemporary constructing, it enjoys sure advances in expertise like air-con, which is especially needed when the summer time highs are 108 levels Fahrenheit.

Whereas the mosque is huge and already sees 1000’s of congregants via its doorways, it might be extra challenged by the 2022 World Cup and the 1.5 million vacationers who’re anticipated to go to Qatar, rising the variety of folks in Qatar by 50%, so the nation must “go massive” to assist its non secular wants.