Mezquita Mayor de Granada

"The Great Mosque of Granada is an Islamic temple inaugurated in 2003 in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southern Spain. It is the first mosque built in the city since 1492, after a 500-year hiatus. The mosque has an Islamic Studies Centre, which has a programme of conferences, Arabic language classes, exhibitions and courses on topics related to Islam and the Islamic legacy in Spain. In addition, it also has a point of assistance to the needy and to Muslims in general and a library with texts and audiovisual materials on Islam in Arabic, English and Spanish. The Great Mosque of Granada is made up of three very different elements: the garden, the prayer room (which is the mosque itself) and the Islamic Studies Centre. The garden looks out over the valley of the Darro River and the Sabika mountain, on the top of which stands the Alhambra. In the background you can see the peaks of Sierra Nevada. The botanical varieties in this garden are all Mediterranean: pine, olive, pomegranate, orange and lemon trees, and the two mosaic fountains are distinctly Andalusian. The Great Mosque has been decorated with sober elements taken from Islamic artistic traditions. The mihrab, which marks the direction of prayer towards Mecca, is a replica of that of the Mosque of Cordoba. The hand-carved Atlas cedar wood panels contain a verse from the Koran, where some of the divine attributes are named. The marble panels of different colours are identical to those of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The large qibla windows are copies of those of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The fountain and the mosaics in the courtyard that gives access to the prayer hall have been made by craftsmen from Fez, Morocco, who have preserved the same designs and the same techniques used in Muslim Granada 1,000 years ago. The minaret is a tower of genuine Albaicin proportions and silhouette. The mosaic inscription in Kufic calligraphy, which can be read under its eaves, is the Muslim declaration of faith: “There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” Finally, the Islamic Studies Centre contains a library with texts on Islam in Arabic, Spanish and other languages, as well as audiovisual media. It also includes a conference room with capacity for 140 people and an exhibition hall. On the ground floor and in the main entrance hall are the reception and the shop selling books, crafts and souvenirs of the Great Mosque."