Amman, Jordan The last two decades have witnessed a spectacular proliferation of new, modern mosques all across the Islamic world. But it was not in one of the great Muslim cities of antiquity where this trend began, but in the unassuming capital of one of the Middle East’s most unassuming nations: Amman, Jordan. Throughout the 20th century Amman saw the construction of … [Read more...]
NATIONAL MAUSOLEUM
Karachi, Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the national hero and founder of modern-day Pakistan, may be the single-most important Islamic leader of the 20th century. He not only helped lead the entire Asian subcontinent to independence from the British colonial empire, but he established the first truly great modern Muslim state. He is buried in the Mazar-E-Quaid, the National … [Read more...]
OMAR ALI SAIFUDDIN MOSQUE (MASJID OMAR ALI SAIFUDDIN)
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei The Masjid Omar Ali Saifuddin is one of the great mosques of the 20th century. Built by the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei, it is one of the most popular and visited mosques in the Islamic Far East. It has also been acclaimed by many to be one of the most beautiful mosques in the world, a claim that is not without merit. A modern-day structure, the … [Read more...]
TOUBA MOSQUE (MASJID TOUBA)
Touba, Senegal Touba is a relatively young metropolis, having grown up around the tomb of its locally revered Sufi saint over the last hundred years. Founded during the early 20th century, Touba has become the spiritual center of Senegal and arguably the most popular Islamic pilgrimage destination in West Africa. The city was established by Sheik Ahmadou Bamba, who is highly … [Read more...]
TOMB OF BAHA AL-DIN AL-NAQSHBANDI
Bukhara, Uzbekistan There are many orders of Sufism, but only one, the Naqshbandi, which traces its origins back to Abu Bakr, the first caliph. Thus the Naqshbandi are one of the few Sunni oriented Sufi orders, and possibly the most important and influential religious institution in Central Asia. The order’s founder was Baha Al-Din Al-Naqshbandi, who stands out as one of the … [Read more...]
MURSI ABU EL-ABBAS MOSQUE (MASJID MURSI ABU EL-ABBAS)
Alexandria, Egypt Despite the fact that Alexandria was the largest and most important city in Egypt at the time of the Muslim conquest, it never developed into one of Islam’s greatest metropoli. In fact, the surprisingly neglected port city fell into a steep decline after being absorbed into the caliphate, and its surprising lack of major mosques reflects this. The city’s … [Read more...]
MEVLANA MUSEUM
Konya, Turkey While Sufism originated in Persia and other eastern Islamic nations, it reached the pinnacle of its popularity much later in the Turkish territories of Asia Minor. This was due in large part to one Jala Al-Din Rumi, one of the greatest and most revered of Sufi philosophers, who came to Konya as a refugee fleeing the Mongols. He contributed much in the way of … [Read more...]
DARGAH SHARIF
Ajmer, Rajasthan The Dargah Sharif of Ajmer is the most important Islamic shrine in India. It was built in honor of Moinuddin Chishti, one of the greatest Sufi theologians and missionaries of the 12th century. Moinuddin Chishti was pivotal both in the early development of Sufism but also in the spread of Islam across Northern India. He is also highly venerated by the Hindus … [Read more...]
SIDI BOU MEDIENE MOSQUE (MASJID SIDI BOU MEDIENE)
Tlemcen, Algeria Ever since Islam arrived in North Africa, Tlemcen enjoyed a prominent position along the trade and pilgrimage routes between West Africa and the east. Although politically and militarily important throughout the Middle Ages, it was overshadowed by nearby Kairouan in neighboring Tunisia. However, during the 1100s, Tlemcen managed to establish itself as a … [Read more...]
MAUSOLEUM OF OMAR KHAYYAM
Nishapur, Iran The city of Nishapur is, along with Mashhad and Toos, part of the region in northeastern Iran that churned out some of the foremost Muslim thinkers and academics of the Middle Ages. Nishapur’s favorite son, and its primary claim to fame, was Omar Khayyam, possibly the greatest mathematician to live between Euclid and Copernicus. Interestingly, he is even … [Read more...]
