Grand Mosque of Kuwait: A magnificent prayer house


Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print
By John V Tauro, Mangalore
Bellevision Media Network

Kuwait, 22 April 2012: The Grand Mosque is the official mosque of Kuwait. It is located opposite the Sief Palace and is the largest among the over 800 mosques around Kuwait. Its area spans 45,000 square meters (480,000 sq ft.), out of which the building itself covers 20,000 square meters (220,000 sq. ft.). Construction on the mosque started in 1979 and was completed in 1986.

 

Entrance to the mosque is open to people of all religions and nationalities. However certain decorum is expected when one visits the mosque. Pre-booked tours are possible between 9am and 4pm from Saturday to Wednesday and it is expected that tourist should dress respectfully and modestly covering arms and legs.

 

Before retiring from my 45 years of working in this country, I had the opportunity of visiting this place. I have passed by this area a million times, but this chance was an eye opener. I reached on time and was asked to be in the waiting area. The waiting place was well spaced and truly Kuwaiti traditional style seating and hospitality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The guide greeted and welcomed all, and proceeded to show us the inner areas of the mosque. The guide gave us facts about the main prayer hall which can accommodate up to 10,000 men and up to 950 women in the separate hall for women. This large hall has 22 teakwood doors and is lit up by 144 windows. In the middle there are small shelves that form a 350 foot square. They contain Islamic reference books and documents. This is also where they kneel and say their prayers. The ceiling is a beautifully painted dome that is 26 meters in diameter and 43 meters high. Painted on it is the "Asma al-hosna," which means the 99 names of God. They are the names of God that are revealed in the Qur’an, the religious text of Islam.

 

As one climbs up in the pulpit in the front, he can look around the entire room. One can see all the traditional chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. And the walls are intricately designed with the minutest of details beautifully done. The big teakwood doors are surrounded by colorful tiles making out shapes like suns and flowers. They are mainly in the colors such as yellow, blue, tan and white. But they add a nice touch to the atmosphere of the mosque.  The guide further took us to the VVIP diwaniya area (sitting place) where the Amir of Kuwait greets his people after the Eid prayers.

 

Maintaining the sanctity of the place, we slowly moved out into the large open space, where the guide informed us that the mosque has a 5 level parking space underground for the worshippers and can accommodate 550 cars at any time. I was amazed at this piece of information, as I had this question in mind when I looked at the traffic during prayer times and whenever I passed by the area.

 

The guide led us to the waiting area once again and offered us dates and drinks, true to the Kuwaiti hospitality. Our tour ended but left an impression in our minds on the opulence of this place from the inside.

 

 

Comments on this Article
Vally, Paladka / Kuwait Tue, April-24-2012, 1:39
The article is much appreciated Mr.John. Also I want to say, that when our Muslim brothers pray in such simplistic ambience it is applauding. The most important thing is they do not line up or sit to pray according to the person next to them, instead ignoring whether a person is rich, or a laborer, in the temple of God they are all one. This is appreciated.
Vivek, Muscat Sun, April-22-2012, 9:01
Nice article. This also reminds me of the Grand Sultan Qaboos Mosque we have here in Oman. A mosque is so simplistic in style, and when a blend of traditional and modern art in building the mosque happens, it certainly leaves an impression in the mind of the person who observes art.
Sandeep, Kuwait Sun, April-22-2012, 6:13
Thank you Mr.John for sharing unique articles with us. The effort and unusual places of visit that you share with all is informative. We are generally non-appreciative of the things gulf has except for monetary rewards, but we must attempt to learn their culture and appreciate their lifestyle.
Oswald, Bendur Sun, April-22-2012, 3:01
Indeed a Beautiful Mosque. Well built near the sea shore. Above all really appreciate the efforts taken by Mr. Tauro (Ex- Kuwaiti) for uploading the beauty of the Mosque giving the updates so that everyone can see the inner part of the monument. Hats off to Mr. Tauro for thr trouble taken thank you very much. Osey
Anil Menezes, Bahrain Sun, April-22-2012, 12:16
This is good coverage of Kuwait Mr.John. Keep it up. Most of the times we hesitate to enter a mosque only in the ignorance of what lies inside. The mention on parking space is excellent.
Write your Comments on this Article
Your Name
Native Place / Place of Residence
Your E-mail
Your Comment   You have characters left.
Security Validation
Enter the characters in the image above
    
Disclaimer: Kindly do not post any abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful material or SPAM. BelleVision.com reserves the right to block/ remove without notice any content received from users.
GTI MarigoldGTI Marigold
Anil Studio
Badminton Sports AcademyBadminton Sports Academy

Now open at Al Qusais

Veez Konkani IllustratedVEEZ Konkani

Weekly e-Magazine

New State Bank of India, Customer Service Point
Cool House ConstructionCool House Construction
Uzvaad FortnightlyUzvaad Fortnightly

Call : 91 9482810148

Your ad Here
Power Care
Ryan Intl Mangaluru
Ryan International
pearl printing
https://samuelsequeira.substack.com/publish
Omintec
Kittall.ComKittall.Com

Konkani Literature World

Konkanipoetry.com
Bluechem