Al Fateh Grand Mosque


The Al-Fateh Mosque is one of the largest mosques in the world, encompassing 6,500 square meters and having the capacity to accommodate over 7,000 worshippers at a time. The mosque was built by the late Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa in 1987 and was named after Ahmed Al Fateh. In 2006, Al-Fateh became the site of the National Library of Bahrain.

About

The mosque is the largest place of worship in Bahrain. It is located next to the Al Fateh Highway in Juffair, which is a suburban neighborhood of Manama. The huge dome built on top of the Al-Fateh Mosque is constructed entirely of fibreglass. Weighing over 60 Megagrams, the dome is currently the world's largest fibreglass dome. The marble used in the floors is Italian and the chandelier is from Austria. The doors are made of teak wood from India. Throughout the mosque are calligraphy writings in a very old type of style called Bahrain.

Library

The library of Ahmed Al-Fateh Islamic Center has around 7,000 books, some as old as 100 years or more. These include copies of the books of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad or what is referred to as the books of Hadith, the Global Arabic Encyclopedia, the Encyclopedia of Islamic Jurisprudence, Al-Azhar journals which have been printed more than a hundred years ago, as well as numerous periodicals and magazines.

Tourism

Besides being a place of worship, the mosque is one of the premier tourist attractions in Bahrain. It is open from 9am to 4pm and tours are conducted in a variety of languages including English, French, Filipino, Russian and many other languages, special arrangements are encouraged for smooth sailing. The mosque is closed to visitors and tourists on all Fridays.

Gallery