mosques

One of the oldest Moorish monuments in Spain, this tiny 10th-century mosque was built over a Visigothic chapel then converted into a church by King Alfonso.

The Mezquita of Cordoba is a beautiful and fascinating 8th-century mosque known for its forest of columns and striped arcades.

This large and important mosque on the Temple Mount was originally built in 710. It features 11th-century mosaics, a 12th-century mihrab, and Romanesque arches added by Crusaders.

The "Emperor's Mosque" was built in 1673 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan. It is one of the city's best known landmarks and a major tourist attraction.

The 12th-century brick Kalon Minaret is one of the most impressive monuments in Bukhara and it can be climbed for fine views. Next to it is the 16th-century Kalon Mosque, built on the site of an earlier mosque.

The oldest monument in Marrakesh (c. 1100) and the only Almoravid building remaining in Morocco, this attractive domed structure was highly influential on Moroccan architecture.

Built by Ahmad Ibn Tulun in 879, this is the oldest mosque in Egypt and the third largest in the world. It is also famed for its lovely architecture and unique minaret.

Completed in 1656, this magnificent mosque is the largest in India. Commissioned by the emperor who built the Taj Mahal, it is a fine example of Mughal architecture.

Built over the tomb of a 13th-century Spanish Sufi saint, this 18th-century mosque topped with lacy domes is considered the most beautiful in Alexandria.

Completed in 1848, the Ottoman-style Muhammad Ali Mosque or "Alabaster Mosque" is the most prominent in Cairo, dominating the skyline from its lofty location on the Citadel.

Built in the 7th century, this beautiful blue-and-gold shrine houses the rock from which the Prophet took his Night Journey into heaven. The rock is also associated with Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible.

Dating from the 10th century, Al-Azhar University is one of the oldest operating universities in the world and it is still a major center of Islamic learning. It is connected to the beautiful and historic Al-Azhar Mosque.