Sunday, October 04, 2009

15 Largest Masjid around the World

This is a list of the largest mosques ranked based on a combination of area and capacity to accommodate worshippers.

15:- Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Capacity :-5,000

Al-Aqsa Mosque also known as al-Aqsa, is an Islamic holy place in the Old City of Jerusalem. The mosque itself forms part of the al-Haram ash-Sharif or "Sacred Noble Sanctuary" (along with the Dome of the Rock), a site also known as the Temple Mount and considered the holiest site in Judaism, since it is where the Temple in Jerusalem once stood. Widely considered as the third holiest site in Islam, Muslims believe that the prophet Muhammad was transported from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to al-Aqsa during the Night Journey. Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad led prayers towards this site until the seventeenth month after the emigration, when God ordered him to turn towards the Ka'aba.

The al-Aqsa Mosque was originally a small prayer house built by the Rashidun caliph Umar, but was rebuilt and expanded by the Ummayad caliph Abd al-Malik and finished by his son al-Walid in 705 CE. After an earthquake in 746, the mosque was completely destroyed and rebuilt by the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur in 754, and again rebuilt by his successor al-Mahdi in 780. Another earthquake destroyed most of al-Aqsa in 1033, but two years later the Fatimid caliph Ali az-Zahir built another mosque which has stood to the present-day. During the periodic renovations undertaken, the various ruling dynasties of the Islamic Caliphate constructed additions to the mosque and its precincts, such as its dome, facade, its minbar, minarets and the interior structure. When the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, they used the mosque as a palace and church, but its function as a mosque was restored after its recapture by Saladin. More renovations, repairs and additions were undertaken in the later centuries by the Ayyubids, Mamluks, the Supreme Muslim Council, and Jordan. Today, the Old City is under Israeli control, but the mosque remains under the administration of the Palestinian-led Islamic


14:- Al Fateh Mosque
Al Fateh Mosque
Capacity:- 7,000 (Inside)

The Al-Fateh Mosque (also known as Al-Fateh Islamic Center & Al Fateh Grand Mosque) (Arabic: مسجد الفاتح‎; transliterated: Masjid al-Fatih) is one of the largest mosques in the world, capable of accommodating over 7,000 worshippers at a time. The mosque is the largest place of worship in Bahrain. It is located next to the King Faisal Highway in Juffair, which is a town located in the capital city of Manama. The mosque very close to the Royal Bahraini Palace, the residence of the king of Bahrain Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah. The huge dome built on top of the Al-Fatih Mosque is made of pure fiberglass. Weighting over 60 t (60,000 kg), the dome is currently the worlds largest fibreglass dome. Al-Fateh now includes the new National Library which opened to the public in 2006. The mosque was built by the late Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa in 1987. It is named after Ahmed Al Fateh, the conqueror of Bahrain.


13:- Sultan Ahmed Mosque
Sultan Ahmed Mosque
Capacity:-10,000

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is the national mosque of Turkey, and is a historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.

It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Istanbul.


12:- Masjid Negara
Masjid Negara
Capacity:- 15,000(inside)

The Masjid Negara is the national mosque of Malaysia, located in Kuala Lumpur. It has a capacity of 15,000 people and is situated among 13 acres (53,000 m2) of beautiful gardens. The original structure was designed by a three-person team from the Public Works Department - UK architect Howard Ashley, and Malaysians Hisham Albakri and Baharuddin Kassim. Originally built in 1965, it is a bold and modern approach in reinforced concrete, symbolic of the aspirations of a then newly-independent Malaysia.

Its key features are a 73-metre-high minaret and an 18-pointed star concrete main roof. The umbrella, synonymous with the tropics, is featured conspicuously - the main roof is reminiscent of an open umbrella, the minaret's cap a folded one. The folded plates of the concrete main roof is a creative solution to achieving the larger spans required in the main gathering hall. Reflecting pools and fountains spread throughout the compound.

Local reports have drawn metaphors about the significance of its main roof: 18 points symbolise the (then) 13 states of Malaysia and the Five Pillars of Islam. However, design member Hisham Albakri revealed in an interview with Badan Warisan Malaysia that this was erroneous.


11:- Id Kah Mosque
Id Kah Mosque
Capacity:- 20,000

The Id Kah mosque (Uyghur: Héytgah Meschit, Chinese: 艾提尕尔; pinyin: àitígǎěr) is a mosque located in Kashgar, Xinjiang, in the western People's Republic of China. It is the largest mosque in China. Every Friday, it houses nearly 10,000 worshippers and may accommodate up to 20,000.

The mosque was built by Saqsiz Mirza in ca. 1442 (although it incorporated older structures dating back to 996) and covers 16,800 square meters.

It was at the center of a sharp rise in tension between the Muslim Uyghurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang in 2003, when developers razed a rose garden on the mosque site and built an enclosed market nearby.


10:- Baitul Mukarram
Baitul Mukarram
Capacity:- 30,000

Baitul Mukarram (Arabic: بيت المكرّم‎; The Holy House) is the national mosque of Bangladesh. Located at the heart of Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, the mosque was founded during the 1960s. The mosque has a capacity of 30,000, giving it the respectable position of being the 10th biggest mosque in the world. However the mosque is constantly getting overcrowded. This especially occurs during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which has resulted in the Bangladeshi government having to add extensions to the mosque, thus increasing the capacity to at least 40,000.


9:- Jama Masjid, Delhi
Jama Masjid
Capacity:- 35,000

The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā (Persian: مسجد جھان نما, the 'World-reflecting Mosque'), commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal, and completed in the year 1656 AD, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India. It lies at the origin of a very busy central street of Old Delhi, Chandni Chowk.

The later name, Jami Masjid, is a reference to the weekly Friday noon congregation prayers of Muslims, Jummah, which are usually done at a mosque, the "congregational mosque" or "jāmi' masjid". The courtyard of the mosque can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers. The mosque also houses several relics in a closet in the north gate, including an antique copy of the Qur'an written on deer skin.


8:- Sheikh Zayed Mosque
Sheikh Zayed Mosque
Capacity:- 40,000

Sheikh Zayed Mosque (Arabic: مسجد الشيخ زايد) in Abu Dhabi is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and the sixth largest mosque in the world.It is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and the first President of the United Arab Emirates, who is also buried there. The mosque was officially opened in the Islamic month of Ramadan in 2007.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority announced that tours of the mosques will be given to both Muslims and non-Muslims beginning in mid-March 2008 in order to promote cultural and religious understanding


7:- Badshahi Mosque
Badshahi Mosque
Capacity:- 100,000

The Badshahi Mosque (Punjabi, Urdu: بادشاھی مسجد), or the 'Emperor's Mosque', in Lahore is the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world. It is Lahore's most famous landmark and a major tourist attraction epitomising the beauty, passion and grandeur of the Mughal era.

Capable of accommodating 10,000 worshippers in its main prayer hall and 100,000 in its courtyard and porticoes, it remained the largest mosque in the world from 1673 to 1986 (a period of 313 years), when overtaken in size by the completion of the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. Today, it remains the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world after the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca, the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina, the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca and the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad.

To appreciate its large size, the four minarets of the Badshahi Mosque are 13.9 ft (4.2 m) taller than those of the Taj Mahal and the main platform of the Taj Mahal can fit inside the 278,784 sq ft (25,899.9 m2) courtyard of the Badshahi Mosque, which is the largest mosque courtyard in the world.


6:- Faisal Mosque
Faisal Mosque
Capacity:- 300,000

The Faisal Mosque in Islamabad is the largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the sixth largest mosque in the world. It was the largest mosque in the world from 1986 to 1993 when overtaken in size by the completion of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. Subsequent expansions of the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina, Saudi Arabia during the 1990s relegated Faisal Mosque to fourth place in terms of size.

Faisal Mosque is the National Mosque of Pakistan. It has a covered area of 5,000 m2 (54,000 sq ft)and has a capacity to accommodate approximately 300,000 worshippers (100,000 in its main prayer hall, courtyard and porticoes and another 200,000 in its adjoining grounds). Although its covered main prayer hall is smaller than that of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca (the world's third largest mosque), Faisal Mosque has the third largest capacity of accommodating worshippers in its adjoining grounds after the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca, the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina. Each of the Mosque's four minarets are 80 m (260 ft) high (the tallest minarets in South Asia) and measure 10 x 10 m in circumference.

The Faisal Mosque is named after the late King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, who supported and financed the project.


5:- Hassan II Mosque
Hassan II Mosque
Capacity:- 970,000 sq ft

The Hassan II Mosque (Arabic: مسجد الحسن الثاني‎), located in Casablanca is the largest mosque in Morocco and the third largest mosque in the world after the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina. Designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau and built by Bouygues. It stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers. A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's adjoining grounds for a total of 105,000 worshippers present at any given time at the Hassan II mosque. Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210 m (689 ft).


4:- Istiqlal Mosque
Istiqlal Mosque
Capacity:- 1,022,571.49 ft

stiqlal Mosque, or Masjid Istiqlal, (Independence Mosque) in Jakarta, Indonesia is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia in term of capacity to accomodate people. However in term of building structure and land coverage, Istiqlal is the largest in Southeast Asia. This national mosque of Indonesia was build to commemorate Indonesian independence, as nation's gratitude for God's blessings; the independence of Indonesia. Therefore the national mosque of Indonesia was named "Istiqlal", an arabic word for "Independence".


3:- Muhammed Ali Pasha Mosque
Muhammed Ali Pasha Mosque
Capacity:- 6,443,943.95 ft

The Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha or Alabaster Mosque (Arabic: مسجد محمد علي, Turkish: Mehmet Ali Paşa Camii) is a mosque situated in the Citadel of Cairo in Egypt and commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha between 1830 and 1848.

Situated on the summit of the citadel, this Ottoman mosque, the largest to be built in the first half of the 19th century, is, with its animated silhouette and twin minarets, the most visible mosque in Cairo. The mosque was built in memory of Tusun Pasha, Muhammad Ali's oldest son, who died in 1816.

This mosque, along with the citadel, is one of the landmarks and tourist attractions of Cairo and is one of the first features to be seen when approaching the city from no matter which side.


2:- Al-Masjid al-Nabawim
Al-Masjid al-Nabawim
Capacity:- 600,000 (increased to 1,000,000 during the hajj period)

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Arabic: المسجد النبوي‎ [IPA /mæsʤıd ænːæbæwiː] "Mosque of the Prophet"), often called the Prophet's Mosque, is a mosque situated in the city of Medina. As the final resting place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, it is considered the second holiest site in Islam by both Shia and Sunni Muslims (the first being the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca) and is the second largest mosque in the world.

One of the most notable features of the site is the Green Dome over the center of the mosque, where the tomb of Muhammad is located. It is not exactly known when the green dome was constructed but manuscripts dating to the early 12th century describe the dome. It is known as the Dome of the Prophet or the Green Dome. Subsequent Islamic rulers greatly expanded and decorated it. Early Muslim leaders Abu Bakr and Umar are buried in an adjacent area in the mosque.

The site was originally Muhammad's house; he settled there after his Hijra (emigration) to Medina, later building a mosque on the grounds. He himself shared in the heavy work of construction. The original mosque was an open-air building. The basic plan of the building has been adopted in the building of other mosques throughout the world.

The mosque also served as a community center, a court, and a religious school. There was a raised platform for the people who taught the Qur'an.


1:- Masjid al-Haram
Masjid al-Haram
Capacity:- 900,000 (increased to 4,000,000 during the hajj period)

Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (المسجد الحرام) (pronounced [ʔælˈmæsdʒɪd ælħɑˈrɑːm] "The Sacred Mosque"), is the largest mosque in the world. Located in the city of Mecca, it surrounds the Kaaba, the place which Muslims turn towards while offering daily prayers and is considered the holiest place on Earth by Muslims. The mosque is also known as the Grand Mosque.

The current structure covers an area of 400,800 square metres (99.0 acres) including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to 4 million worshippers during the Hajj period, the largest annual gatherings of people in the world.

Friday, October 02, 2009

Crocosaurus Cove "The Cage of Death"

Crocosaurus Cove
Crocosaurus Cove "The Cage of Death"

Without the cage you wouldn't stand a chance swimming with a massive saltwater crocodile.

But for brave punters who still want to get cosy with a feisty croc, a new Australian tourist attraction is offering the chance for a close encounter in the safety of a clear acrylic box dubbed the 'cage of death'.

Just 4cm of acrylic, a pair of goggles and a swimsuit, will separate thrill-seekers from the jaws of Choppa, a saltwater crocodile.
Crocosaurus Cove
Close encounter: A tourist dives into a cage partially immersed in a crocodile pen at Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin, Australia

The cage has no bars, unlike cages used in shark dives, which prevents the reptiles from gripping on but deep teeth scratches are visible on the sides, deterring some hesitant participants.

Top End tourists climb into the clear box before being lowered into Choppa's lair.

They then spend 15 minutes inside the 9ft high cage and watch Choppa, who lost both front feet while fighting other crocodiles, trying to take a bite out of them
Crocosaurus Cove
Getting cosy: Choppa the crocodile looks like he's 'affectionately' trying to hug the dare-devil tourist

The attraction at Crocosaurus Cove in the heart of the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory has been given high marks by adrenaline-junkies.

'This is it!' said self-confessed thrill-seeker Mark Clayton from Darwin after spending 20 minutes face-to-face with the crocodiles.

'I dive with sharks, large rays, moray eels ... but it's not this close. It's exhilarating to get that close to a crocodile of that size.'
Crocosaurus Cove
Face-to-face: The experience is made even more thrilling for tourists because the cage has no bars

Saltwater crocodiles, known locally as "salties," are the largest crocodile species, with the males growing up to 19.6ft long and weighing up to 2,204lbs.

They are found in across Southeast Asia but the highest numbers are found in northern Australia.

Michael Scott, who opened the attraction in July, said there was plenty of demand for the £35 thrill.

'In the Northern Territory, the saltwater crocodile is an icon and is part of our life. They are always in the news, either in someone's swimming pool or killing someone's favourite horse,' Mr Scott said.
Crocosaurus Cove
Hunting for food: Up to two people are allowed in the cage at the one time

The most famous crocodile to be housed at the park is Burt, who starred as the beast that nearly ate Linda Koslowski’s character in Crocodile Dundee.

Although saltwater crocodiles are dangerous, fatal attacks on humans are rare in Australia with only one or two reported a year.

Warning signs are displayed at rivers, lake and beaches in areas inhabited by crocodiles.
Crocosaurus Cove

Dicing with danger: Swimming face-to-face with a massive saltwater crocodile might not be everyone's idea of fun but thrill-seekers are snapping up Australia's newest tourist attraction

The most recent fatality was reported last month in Queensland when the suspected remains of a British man were found inside a crocodile.

Arthur Booker, 62, was last seen checking crab pots on a crocodile-infested river in the state's north.
Crocosaurus Cove

Crocosaurus Cove

Crocosaurus Cove

Crocosaurus Cove

Crocosaurus Cove


Update
:- View Crocosaurus Cove "The Cage of Death" Video

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women
World's Most Flexible Women

Here are some photos of extremely flexible and limber women. One wonders if they have any bones at all!

Some ways to improve flexibility are through Yoga, Pilates, Ballet, Tai Chi, martial arts and swimming. The people in the following pictures seem to be naturally gifted though!
World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women

World's Most Flexible Women


Update
:-View World's Most Flexible Women Video

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo, Chile

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo
Most Impressive Attractions Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo, Chile

Located in the Coyhaique province, Chile, the Marble Caves are some of the most impressive attractions of Patagonia.

Las Cavernas de Marmol, as the Spanish call them were created by the clear waters of Rio Tranquilo that dug into a giant limestone peninsula, creating an impressive labyrinth of caves. The peninsula is known as the Marble Cathedral and can be reached by boat, during a guided tour.
Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo

Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo


Update:- View Marble Caves of Rio Tranquilo, Chile Video