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HAUSA MOSQUES (MASJID KANO, MASJID ZINDER)

April 15, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Kano, Nigeria & Zinder, Niger Located on the fringe where the Sahara Desert meets the more hospitable regions of the Sahel, Nigeria and Niger were home to some of the last major Muslim kingdoms to be founded in Africa.  These small kingdoms, which often amounted to little more than city-states, were largely established by Hausa tribesmen as early as the 14th century.  They … [Read more...]

MUD BRICK MOSQUES OF MALI (GREAT MOSQUE OF DJENNE, MASJID SANKORE)

April 15, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Djenne & Timbuktu, Mali The Mud Brick Mosques of Djenne and Timbuktu in Mali are among the architectural wonders of the Sahara Desert.  These two cities, which became the dominant regional trading centers during the European colonial era, surpassed Chinguetti in religious importance in the 15th and 16th centuries.  Because of their isolation from other Muslim states during … [Read more...]

KASBAH OF ALGIERS

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Algiers, Algeria Few North African cities have captured the imagination in the way that Algiers has.  Algiers was the city of the Barbary pirates, who held European shipping in the Western Mediterranean hostage for centuries; it is the city where Muslims first threw off the yoke of foreign occupation in the post-war era; and it is the city of the Kasbah, the great fortress and … [Read more...]

CHINGUETTI MOSQUE (MASJID CHINGUETTI)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Chinguetti, Mauritania After its initial arrival in the Maghreb, Islam took centuries to slowly diffuse down into Western Africa.  When it finally did, a number of cities sprang up in the Sahara to help facilitate the spreading of Islam southwards and trade from the rich coastlands northwards.  The earliest of these to rise to prominence was Chinguetti in Mauritania.  … [Read more...]

KOUTOUBIA MOSQUE (MASJID KOUTOUBIA)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Marrakesh, Morocco Morocco boasts many of Africa’s most famous cities, and the most quintessentially exotic of all Moroccan cities is storied Marrakesh, which is home to some of the best Islamic architecture in the region.  It boasts several of Morocco’s best preserved palaces, countless mosques and madrassas, a magnificent casbah and one of the world’s largest traditional … [Read more...]

MADRASSA AL-KAIROUIAN

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Fes, Morocco The Madrassa Al-Karouian is not only one of the oldest Islamic sites in North Africa, it is culturally one of the most important institutions in the world.  Founded in the mid-9th century, Al-Karouian is generally recognized as the oldest continually operational university of higher education on Earth.  This is not merely an Islamic tradition; this recognition … [Read more...]

UQBA MOSQUE (MASJID UQBA)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Kairouan, Tunisia Among the holy cities of Islam, there is no doubt as to the three top contenders: Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.  However, when it comes to the fourth, opinions vary wildly.  For many Muslims of North Africa, the Tunisian city of Kairouan is the unofficial runner up.  Although this distinction is recognized only in the Maghreb region, and largely ignored by … [Read more...]

TOMBS OF THE IDRISIDS (MASJID MOULAY IDRIS I, ZAOUAI MOULEY IDRIS II)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Fes & Zerhoun, Morocco Of all of the countries of North Africa, none boasts as many great classical Islamic cities as Morocco:  Tangier, Rabat and splendid Marrakesh, just to name a few.  These cities are home to ancient medinas and magnificent mosques.  But the oldest of all are Fes and Zerhoun, the first Islamic cities in Morocco, and home to the region’s first Muslim … [Read more...]

WALLED CITY OF KAIROUAN

December 20, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Kairouan, Tunisia The Walled City of Kairouan in Tunisia is among the finest in Africa, rivaling the various casbahs of Morocco in size and magnificience and surpassing them historically.  Once considered by many in North Africa to be the fourth holiest city in the Islamic world, Kairouan was an important political and religious center throughout much of the Middle Ages.  … [Read more...]

FORTALEZA DE HACHO

December 20, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Ceuta, Morocco The Fortaleza De Hacho is the world’s oldest colonial-era fortress, and one of its last still in use.  The site of an earlier castle, Monte Hacho was captured by Portuguese adventurers in 1415, and, though it switched hands between the Portuguese and Spanish several times in its history, has remained an enclave of European powers ever since.  Built to defend the … [Read more...]

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THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

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Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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