Although there are more than 700 mosques in Dubai there is the only one opened for non-Muslim visitors - Jumeirah Mosque on the Beach Road.
Finished in 1975 as the copy of the one in Cairo, Jumeirah Mosque merges medieval Egyptian style with modern Turkish influence.
The building can hold around 1 200 people, rather small in size in the comparison with similar temples of the world.
The two towers minarets are very high, so the voice of muezzin calling for to Friday service and the five daily prayers could reach the largest range possible. But seldom you can see the real muzim here, nowadays the real people were replaced by the voice recording from loudspeakers.
The cupola and the tower are surmounted with croissants, typical Muslim symbol marking the place of prayer.
The facade of the building is adorned with delicate stone ornaments.
The wooden doors left of the main entrance lead to the place for women, who cannot stay at the same room with men during prayers.
Inside mosque men use to pray on kneels or lying directly on the floor, thus the good custom tells the people to leave their shoes before the entrance.
The interior is plain simple. The columns supporting the dome ( kubba ) are located around the central place mihrab - the site for imam, who like all the others during prayers faces the direction towards the central temple in Mekka.
The guided tours organised by Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding take place three times a week.
It is a great opportunity to visit the religious place an ask the questions concerning Muslim without the risk of embarassment and misunderstanding.
The tourists visiting the place have to cover the bare shoulders and legs, woman need to wear a scarf around the head.
Jumeirah Mosque
Beach Road, East Jumeirah
phone: 04 3536666
Open (guided tours for visitors):
Tue,Thu,Sun at 10.
[photo by Mathias M]