Mosque

Trey Pettus and Mitch Militello The mosque is one of the most significant symbols of Islam. The Mosque is the place of worship and prayer for Muslims. The above left picture is a Mosque in Mecca. The first Mosques created were holy ground that were built similar to that of Muhammad's house in Medina. Mosques are similar to churches besides the fact that statues, music and singing are prohibited because it is considered lying to portray god so instead they use sacred patters (top middle). Also marriage ceremonies do not take place in Mosques. When first created they were used as schools and courts. Most mosques are controlled by the state. Today Mosques are traditionally built of bricks. On the outside of mosques there are 4 minarets that someone used to go up in and call out the daily prayers. Now they have speakers that call them. If any Muslims can not make it to a mosque to pray then they use a mat that they point to mecca to pray five times a day. When people go into a mosque they have to take off their shoes and wash their feet in order to show respect to god. (The above right picture are 4 minarets).

Mosques are one of the most recognizable symbols of Islam. It is very significant to Muslims because it is their place of prayer, worship and their place of peace. They also still, today, serve as social gathering places in the Muslim Community. Various activities will take place in a Mosque such as political and cultural events and activities. It also draws comparison from plazas of Hispanic countries where people gather.

Searching Strategies Notes Works Cited " ABC-CLIO Social Studies Databases: Login." //ABC-CLIO Social Studies Databases: Login//. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. . "Stock Photography: Download Free Stock Photos & Royalty Free Images." //Stock Photography: Download Free Stock Photos & Royalty Free Images//. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. . "Turkmenistan - Ashghabat: minarets at sunset - SÃ¼leyman Demirel Mosque - silhouette - red sky - photo by G.Karamyanc - Travel-Images.com." //Travel-Images.com - image bank / stock photography - 300 countries and territories - Destinations//. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. .
 * we used the ABCCLIO database to start off and get the basic information
 * we used google images to find images of the mosques
 * we tried to use the Library Internet Index which are a bunch of sites used by teachers and thought reliable by them
 * then we used google to find other sites to find additional information
 * we tried to avoid .com sites and find .org or .gov sites
 * Mosque is a place of worship
 * similar to church
 * besides no singing, music, or statues or marriage ceremonies
 * you should go regularly unless unable
 * "not required"
 * wash off feet for respect before entering
 * traditionally built of bricks
 * served as social gathering places for Muslim Community
 * were used as schools and hospitals originally
 * built to model muhammad's house in Medina
 * 4 minarets
 * someone used to go up to call out daily prayers

=Mosque= By: Trey Ross and Charley Reed



=Bibliography=

"Mosque." //LookLex Encyclopedia.// 9 November 2009. []

"Mosque." //World History: The Modern Era//. ABC-CLIO, 2009. Web. 9 Nov. 2009. .

"The Mosque in Islamic Religion." //All About Turkey.// 9 November 2009. []

"The Citadel, Cairo." //Sacred Destinations.// 9 November 2009. []

We located our sources by using both the MICDS Library databases and by using google as our search engine. The databases are very helpful because they are made specifically for educational purposes and have no advertisements or bias which you may find with a website found using google or yahoo as a search engine. However, using these search engines to find information is still a very useful tool and we used both of these resources to find information about our project.

=Research=


 * The mosque is the house of prayer in Islam similar to a church or temple in Christianity or Judaism.
 * Unlike in Christianity and Judaism a mosque is not based on divine symbols or principles like a church or temple. It must follow only a few strict rules and may be decorated; however, the rules regarding the mosque are very important. Muslims must pray in the direction of Mecca. Likewise the most important rule regarding a mosque is that the mosque must have a clear indication called a gibla indicating the direction of Mecca. The other rule is that the gibla must be under a roof and there may be no door on the same wall as the gibla.
 * There are two types of mosques:
 * There is the main mosque where Friday prayer is recited. This mosque is usually very highly decorated. This main mosque is called the jama'a in Arabic or The Great Mosque in English
 * The second type of mosque is called the masjid. Masjid means "place for prostration" in English and literally means mosque in English. A masjid is a smaller local mosque and is considered by many modern Muslims to be insignificant; however this was not the case in early Islam where they were highly revered and considered important.

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 * The Citadel, Cairo--> Muhammad Ali's Mosque**
 * In the 12th Century, Saladin and his successors built an impenetrable bastion in the Citadel
 * For the next 700 years, Egypt was ruled from this hill
 * Citadel- a fortress or commanding position in or near a city
 * These, too, were not to last, for when the Ottoman Muhammad 'Ali assumed power in the 1800s he had all the Mamluk buildings razed and the complex entirely rebuilt; only the green-domed mosque and a fragment of al-Qasr al-Ablaq (the striped palace) remain. The Citadel's appearance today is the vision of Muhammad 'Ali, particularly the mosque that bears his name.
 * The Muhammad 'Ali Mosque is the most noticeable in all of Cairo; for more than 150 years it has dominated the skyline

A mosque is a place of worship for people of the Muslim religion. Muslims refer to the mosque as masjid. At the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, the mosque is built with a central dome surrounded by four small and four semi-circular domes. Two elegant cyndrical minarets of the Turkish type with two balconies and conical caps are located on the western side of the mosque. The mosque has a beautiful courtyard, which is covered with alabaster and so are the pillars, there is a clock tower and the entire inside of the mosque is covered with hanging lights. Also, the mosque is home to the tomb of Muhammad Ali. The larger collective mosque, compared to the smaller privately owned mosque, serves as a place not only for prayer but also for the community to meet and study. It is quite similar to a temple or a church where Jewish and Christians gather to learn together, and also be social. Every mosque must have a clear indication of the direction of Mecca, this is called a gibla, because when a Muslim prays they must face toward Mecca. The gibla must be under a roof and there can not be a door on the same wall as the gibla. This is what the two rules for building mosques must fall under. Most mosques are unique in color, style, decorating, and the general setting of the place of worship- this differs from Christianity and Judaism because a mosque isn't based on divine symbols such as a cross or a torah. This is important because without mosques there would be no where for Muslims to learn more of the Islamic religion, or a place for them to pray together.

The mosque is important to Muslims because it is their place of worship and it is their place to recreate pure divine presence on Earth. The mosque is where Muslims hold their Friday prayer services; similar to Sunday service in a Christian church. Mosques are also used as a place where Muslim people will gather and socialize. It is not uncommon for there to be schools, hospitals, courts, or hotels in or near a mosque. This type of a more social mosque is more common in the Middle East and is uncommon in the West. This is because in the West mosques are generally located in the heart of a city or town and these services are not needed there. In the Middle East many cities or towns were formed by the establishment of a mosque. The mosque would become the city center as homes and businesses would spring up around them. The mosque is very important to the people of Islam for it's prayer services and divine presence; however, mosques are also important as a social gathering point for many Muslims.

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