The designation of the oldest mosques in the world requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest mosque congregation. Even here, there is the distinction between old mosque buildings that have been in continuous use as mosques, and those that have been converted to other purposes; and between buildings that have been in continuous use as mosques and those that were shuttered for many decades. In terms of congregations, they are distinguished between early established congregations that have been in continuous existence, and early congregations that ceased to exist. Note that the major regions, such as Africa and Eurasia, are sorted alphabetically, whereas the minor regions, such as Northeast and Northwest Africa in Africa, and Arabia and South Asia in Eurasia, are sorted by the dates in which their first mosques were reportedly established, more or less, barring those that are mentioned by name in the Quran.
To be listed here a site must:
be the oldest mosque in a country, large city (top 50), or oldest of its type (denomination, architectural, etc.);
be the oldest congregation of its type (denomination).
Mentioned in the Quran
The following are treated as the oldest mosques or sanctuaries[1] mentioned in the Quran:[2]
Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām,[a] the holiest sanctuary, containing the Ka'bah, a site of the Ḥajj ('Pilgrimage'), the Qiblah[9] (Direction of formal prayers of Muslims), and the first mosque[10][11] in Islamic thought.[12][13] Rebuilt many times, notably 1571 by the Ottomans, and the late 20th century by the Saudis, further enlargement under way since 2010.
Al-Masjid al-Aqṣá,[2] the former Qiblah,[15] site of the significant event of Al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj, third holiest site in Islam. Although properly referring to the whole Temple Mount compound (seen as a single mosque),[note 1] today however specifically the silver-domed congregational mosque or prayer hall facing Mecca [otherwise known as Al-Qibli Mosque (see below)] located on the southern side of the compound.
The first mosque built by Muhammad in the 7th century CE, possibly mentioned as the "Mosque founded on piety since the first day"[22] in the Quran.[citation needed] Largely rebuilt in the late 20th century.
Believed to be the first mosque on the African continent and the first mosque in the world built by the companions of prophet Muhammad in the 7th century.[23]
Built in the 7th century in Negash, the mosque in Negash, by tradition burial site of several followers of Mohammad who, during his lifetime, fled to the Aksumite Kingdom to escape persecution in Mecca. It was recently renovated by TIKA, a Turkish cooperation organization.[24]
Named after 'Amr ibn al-'As, commander of the Muslim conquest of Egypt, by order of Caliph Umar. Built as the centre of Fustat (the newly founded capital of Egypt) in 673–642 CE, and rebuilt in 1179 and in 1875.
Opened in October 1983 by the Shi'ite community of Buenos Aires and with the support of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Argentina. It is a very simple building with a subtle Islamic style in its facade.[45]
Built in Iowa in 1934,[citation needed] became the oldest standing mosque in America when the Ross Mosque was torn down in the 1970s. The Ross Mosque was later rebuilt in 2005.
'Eurasia' is treated here not as a continental landmass, but a combination of European and Asian countries, including island-states such as Japan and the United Kingdom.
Second holiest site in Islam (after Al-Haram Mosque) and Muhammad's mosque, which houses his tomb in what was initially his and his wife Aisha's house. Largely rebuilt and greatly enlarged in the late 20th century, whilst retaining at its heart the earlier construction of the Ottomans, and landmark green dome atop the prophet's mausoleum.
The Huaisheng Mosque is the main mosque of Guangzhou. It has been rebuilt many times over its history. According to tradition it was originally built over 1,300 years ago in 627 CE by Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas, who was an uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and was named in memory of Muhammad.
Although the oldest stones date from the 18th century,[63] the Mosque was founded in 742[64] Built in 742, but oldest mosque in China is the Beacon Tower mosque of Guangzhou being built in 627.[65]
The second oldest mosque in Taiwan. The original building was built in 1949, then moved to a new location where the second building was built in 1951, and the third and final building built in 1992.
Built by Arab traders at ancient port of Ghogha, Bhavnagar district in the state of Gujarat. The qibla (direction to be faced while offering namaaz) of the mosque is faced to Bait al Mukaddas (Jerusalem). The mosque is abandoned by devotees after the qibla was changed to Makkah in AD 623 and another mosque constructed at the same time.[66][67][68][69][70]
Possibl the earliest mosque in South Asia is under excavation in northern Bangladesh, indicating the presence of Muslims in the area around the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad.[73]
Considered to be the first mosque to be built in Tamil Nadu, and the second mosque in India. Constructed by Yemeni merchants and trade settlers in the Pandiya Kingdom and ordered by Bazan ibn Sasan, Governor of Yemen at the time of Muhammad.[74]
Built by Khan Jahan Ali, it is considered to be the second-oldest mosque in Bangladesh. The fortified structure contains eighty-one domes, sixty stone pillars and eleven mihrabs.
Built by the Umayyad caliph Umar II, as part of his conversion of the city into a military base to shield Antioch from a potential Greek attack. The building fell into ruin during the reign of Al-Mu'tasim, approximately 120 years later.
It was built on the main (Visigothic) church of the city after the site was being divided and shared between Muslims and Christians for around seven decades. The great mosque was built by Abd al-Rahman I, the first Muslim ruler of Spain in 785,[86] it underwent successive extensions in the 9th and 10th centuries and was concluded in 10th century under the command of Almanzor. After the Christian reconquest of Cordoba in 1236, Ferdinand III of Castile converted the mosque into a cathedral, suffering some alterations that will end up configuring the current Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. With 23,400 square metres (2.34 ha), it was the second largest mosque in the world on the surface, after Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca, only later replaced in this respect by the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul in 1588.
It is considered to be the oldest mosque in North Macedonia. However, as a result of the various renovation works, the building has been altered to such an extent that it is no longer in its original state. [91]
Several sources state that a mosque was founded in 1860 at 2 Glynrhondda Street, Cardiff, Wales. This has been rejected by an academic paper as a transcription error.[109]
This mosque was the first mosque built in France since the 8th century; it was built in the Moroccan style, and honored Muslim French veterans of World War I.[110]
Erected in 1915 by the Imperial German Army administration for Muslim Allied prisoners of war in the POW camp in Wünsdorf, later used as refugee camp. In 1930 torn down due to lack of a congregation.
A mosque of the community of Finnish Tatars. It is considered to be the oldest mosque in Nordic countries. Finland's first Muslim cemetery was established in the 1830s for Russian troops.[113]
Founded by Pakistani-Norwegians aided by Danish Muslims; of the Sunni Deobandi school. The first Shi'i mosque, Anjuman-e Hussain, opened in 1975; the first Sunni Barelvi mosque opened in 1976.
^According to historian Oleg Grabar, "It is only at a relatively late date that the Muslim holy space in Jerusalem came to be referred to as al-haram al-sharif (literally, the Noble Sacred Precinct or Restricted Enclosure, often translated as the Noble Sanctuary and usually simply referred to as the Haram). While the exact early history of this term is unclear, we know that it only became common in Ottoman times, when administrative order was established over all matters pertaining to the organization of the Muslim faith and the supervision of the holy places, for which the Ottomans took financial and architectural responsibility. Before the Ottomans, the space was usually called al-masjid al-aqsa (the Farthest Mosque), a term now reserved to the covered congregational space on the Haram, or masjid bayt al-maqdis (Mosque of the Holy City) or, even, like Mecca's sanctuary, al-masjid al-ḥarâm,"[16]
^Long, David E. (1979). "2: The Rites of the Hajj". The Hajj Today: A Survey of the Contemporary Pilgrimage to Makkah. pp. 11–24. ISBN978-0-8739-5382-5. With thousands of Hajjis, most of them in motor vehicles, rushing headlong for Muzdalifah, the potential is there for one of ... There is special grace for praying at the roofless mosque in Muzdalifah called al-Mash'ar al-Haram (the Sacred Grove) ...
^Danarto (1989). A Javanese pilgrim in Mecca. p. 27. ISBN978-0-8674-6939-4. It was still dark when we arrived at Muzdalifah, four miles away. The Koran instructs us to spend the night at al-Mash'ar al-Haram. the Sacred Grove at Muzdalifah, as one of the conditions for the hajj . We scrambled out of the bus and looked ...
^Jones, Lindsay (2005). Encyclopedia of religion. Vol. 10. Macmillan Reference USA. p. 7159. ISBN978-0-0286-5743-1. The Qur'an admonishes: "When you hurry from Arafat, remember God at the Sacred Grove (al-mash' ar al-haram)," that is, at Muzdalifah (2:198). Today a mosque marks the place in Muzdalifah where pilgrims gather to perform the special saldt ...
^Ziauddin Sardar; M. A. Zaki Badawi (1978). Hajj Studies. Jeddah: Croom Helm for Hajj Research Centre. p. 32. ISBN978-0-8566-4681-2. Muzdalifah is an open plain sheltered by parched hills with sparse growth of thorn bushes. The pilgrims spend a night under the open sky of the roofless Mosque, the Sacred Grove, Al Mush'ar al-Haram. On the morning of the tenth, all depart ...{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ abArabian American Oil Company; Saudi Aramco; Aramco Services (1987). Aramco world. Aramco. p. 67. Retrieved 5 July 2012. – Then, in 1902, Indonesian Muslims from Java arrived to cultivate Suriname's coastal rice fields, and four years later, the country's first mosque was built at Wanica.
^Prof.Mehboob Desai,Masjit during the time of Prophet Nabi Muhammed Sale Allahu Alayhi Wasalam,Divy Bhasakar,Gujarati News Paper, Thursday, column 'Rahe Roshan',24 May,page 4
^Magdalino, Paul, et al. "Istanbul: Buildings, Hagia Sophia" in Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. http://www.oxfordartonline.com. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
^Antonio Pareja (1999). Mezquita de Bab al Mardum, Cristo de la Luz, Toledo 999–1999. Fundacíon Cultura y Deporte Castilla-La Mancha, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha.
^Markus Hattstein; Peter Delius (2007). Islam. Arte y arquitectura. Tandem Verlag.
^ abSharr, KBI (March 2007). "Këshilli me xhaminë më të vjetër në rajon". DITURIA ISLAME, Revistë Mujore, Fetare, Kulturore e Shkencore. Nr. 200 (xhamitë nëpër këshillat e Kosovës): 50. {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
^ abFlorida, Nancy K. (1995). "5: The Demak Mosque: A Construction of Authority". Babad Jaka Tingkir: Writing the past, inscribing the future: history as prophesy in colonial Java. Durham, N. C.: Duke University Press. ISBN978-0-8223-1622-0.
^Gilliat-Ray, Sophie (July 2010). "The first registered mosque in the UK, Cardiff, 1860': the evolution of a myth". Contemporary Islam. 4 (2): 179–193. doi:10.1007/s11562-010-0116-9. ISSN1872-0218.