Mosque Ceilings

Mosque ceilings are designed to reflect the magnificence of the universe. For Ramadan, here are spectacular details of 24 Mosque ceilings from around the world…

1/ Jami Mosque, Andijan, Uzbekistan The construction of the madrasah began in 1883 and lasted for 7 years. It has a gorgeous fretwork of wooden columns supporting a ceiling decorated with bright patterns made of a combination of geometrical ornaments & vegetal elements

2/ Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Naqsh-i Jahan Square, Esfahan, Iran Construction of the mosque started in 1603 and was finished in 1619. Built by the chief architect Mohammadreza Isfahani, during the reign of Shah Abbas I of Persia. Beautiful interior dome details

3/ Jameh Mosque, Yazd, Iran The 14th-century mosque is still in use today. It was first built under Ala'oddoleh Garshasb of the Al-e Bouyeh dynasty. It was largely rebuilt between 1324 and 1365. The ceiling was built like a porch in the heart of the desert

4/ Tokyo Mosque, (東京ジャーミイ), Ōyama-chō district of Shibuya ward in Tokyo, Japan It is the largest mosque in Japan. Originally built in 1938, the current building was completed in 2000. It was designed by Hilmi Senalp, in a style inspired by Ottoman architecture

5/ Shah Mosque in Tehran, Iran Built to the order of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar of Persia during the Qajar period, as one of several such symbols of legitimacy for the new dynasty. Construction started in 1810 and completed in 1825. These are divine details from the ceiling

6/ Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Oman In 1992, Qaboos bin Said al Said, the then Sultan of Oman, directed that his country should have a Grand Mosque, construction commenced in December 1994. The chandelier above the praying hall is 14 metres (46 feet) tall

7/ Al-Askari Mosque, Samarra, Salah al-Din Governorate, Northern Iraq It was built in 944 and is a Shia Muslim mosque and mausoleum in the Iraqi city of Samarra 125 km (78 mi) from Baghdad. It is one of the most important Shia shrines in the world & decorated in tiles

8/ Bolo Haouz Mosque, Bukhara, Uzbekistan Built in 1712, on the opposite side of the citadel of Ark in Registan district. Thin columns made of painted wood were added to the frontal part of the iwan (entrance) in 1917. The columns are decorated with colored muqarnas

9/ Jama Masjid, Delhi, India Built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1650 & 1656, & inaugurated by its first Imam, Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari. Situated in Old Delhi, it served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors until the end of the empire in 1857

10/ Nasir Al Mulk, Shiraz, Iran Built during the Qajar dynasty in 1876 by the order of Mirza Hassan Ali Nasir-ol-Mulk, and was completed in 1888. The designers were Mohammad Hasan-e-Memār, Mohammad Hosseini Shirazi, and Mohammad Rezā Kāshi-Sāz-e-Širāzi

11/ Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Masjid, Medina, Saudi Arabia Built by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) it was the second mosque built in Medina after Masjid Quba', and is the second largest mosque and second holiest site in Islam, both titles ranking after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca

12/ Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan Built in 1641 it is considered the most ornately decorated Mughal-era mosque, and is renowned for its intricate faience tile work known as kashi-kari, as well as its interior surfaces that are embellished with Mughal-era frescoes

13/ Hafez Tomb, Shiraz, Iran Built in 1773 in memory of the celebrated Persian poet Hafez. The open pavilion structures are situated in the Musalla Gardens on the north bank of a seasonal river and house the marble tomb of Hafez

14/ Badshahi Mosque, Pakistan Built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb between 1671 & 1673 it was the largest mosque in the world from 1673 to 1986. An important example of Mughal architecture, with an exterior that is decorated with carved red sandstone with marble inlay

15/ Kul Sharif Mosque, Kazan, Tatarstan Originally, the mosque was built in the Kazan Kremlin in the 16th century. It was named after Kul Sharif, who was a religious scholar who served there

16/ Interior details from a Mosque, near Erbil Citadel, Iraq Multicoloured ceiling with verses written from the Qur’an

17/ The Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha, Cairo, Egypt Commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha between 1830 & 1848. Situated on the summit of the citadel this Ottoman mosque was the largest built in the first half of the 19th century & is the most visible mosque in Cairo

18/ The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates The largest mosque in the country, it was constructed between 1994 & 2007. The project was launched by the late president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

19/ Cambridge Central Mosque, Cambridge, England Completed in 2019. Europe’s first eco-sustainable mosque, its design incorporates local architecture, Islamic motifs & the use of timber to create interwoven pillars that form an octagonal canopy evoking a calming oasis

20/ Tila Kari, Samarkand, Uzbekistan Commissioned a decade after the adjacent Shir Dar madrasa (1619-1636). The last, largest and most embellished structure of the famed Registan Square. It's name means ''gold-covered', referring to the decoration of its domed chamber

21/ Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan Many Afghanis believe Ali ibn Abi Talib is buried here. The building gives the city, Mazari Sharif (meaning "Tomb of the Exalted") its name. The shrine was erected here in 1136 and the interior ceiling is a splendour of colour

22/ The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Turkey An Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. A functioning mosque, it also attracts large numbers of tourist visitors. It was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I

23/ Imam Reza shrine, Mashhad, Iran Contains the mausoleum of Imam Reza and is the largest mosque in the world by area. It was built in 821 AH under the orders of Gowharshad Khatun, Shahrokh Mirza's wife

24/ The Putra Mosque, Putrajaya, Malaysia Building began in 1997 & completed two years later. The pink-domed Mosque is constructed with rose-tinted granite & includes a prayer hall, courtyard & learning facilities. The mosque can accommodate 15,000 worshippers