Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The ideals of peace and coexistence are built on a foundation of dialogue and mutual understanding.
To lay this foundation, a stunning mosque is opening its doors to visitors of all faiths, and is set to become the second in Bahrain to offer English tours.
The Al Hasan Mosque, located in Busaiteen, will be welcoming visitors during a ‘soft opening’ of its tours, starting this Saturday.
“The Grand Mosque was the first to offer English-language guided visits to tourists, and we are hoping to carry that forward,” Sultan Bilal, imam at the Yateem Mosque and head of the visiting section at Al Hasan Mosque, told GulfWeekly.
“These tours will be offered free of charge and we are hoping to offer tourists another mosque they can visit as they travel to the kingdom.”
The Al Hasan Mosque was inaugurated in 2018 after taking two years to complete. The exterior was designed by a Turkish architectural firm, with inspiration drawn from Ottoman-era architecture.
Approaching the mosque, its two 55-metre conical minarets will likely be the first to catch one’s eye. Upon getting closer, the main dome, 10m in height comes into view, surrounded by four medium-sized domes and seven smaller domes, making for a total of 12 domes.
Each dome is made of fibreglass and was created in the UAE.
The main dome, in particular, is astounding to behold, especially from the inside, where passages from the Quran have been painstakingly and beautifully inscribed.
In addition to magnificent calligraphy, the mosque also features mosaic art and arabesque design with repetitive geometric patterns.
On the inside, the mosque has Bahrain’s largest mihrab, the prayer niche at the front of the hall, clocking in at a diameter of 3.6 metres.
There are two pulpits facing the large hall, which has a capacity of 2,000, restricted to 1,000 during the current Covid-19 guidelines.
Overlooking and lighting up the main prayer hall are some beautiful chandeliers, which were made, along with the carpet, in Turkey.
In total, there are 14 chandeliers of different sizes that took more than six months to finish.
In addition to the main prayer hall, the mosque also features a secondary hall, Quran centre, media centre and more.
“On average, the tour takes 20-30 minutes, depending on the questions visitors may have for us,” explained Sultan.
“The Grand Mosque is sometimes closed during public holidays, so we are hoping to offer an alternative to those who are only free on those days to learn more about the architecture of this mosque.
“Right now, the prayers are only in Arabic, but based on the feedback we get, we might even consider offering them in English.”
Sultan currently leads the English prayers at the Yateem Mosque.
During the soft opening, the mosque will be open for tours every Saturday from 9am to 3pm. Visitors must show their green shield on the BeAware application, indicating that they are Covid-vaccinated or Covid-recovered.
Visitors requiring tours in languages other than English and groups larger than 15 members should contact the mosque, by calling 3217 1255.
