Mosque on Picturing Jordan

Sheikh Zayed Mosque: the Pearl of Aqaba

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 12:06:06 +0300

Beautiful mosque by the sea, surrounded by palm trees

The best way to describe the Sheikh Zayed mosque would be “the pearl of Aqaba.” There is a lot to love about this picturesque mosque by the Jordanian seaside, but its crown jewel — to continue the analogy — is the impeccable Arabic calligraphy inlaid in its facade. Sadly, Aqaba itself isn’t much to write home about.

Originally built in 1975, the mosque was refurbished in 2010 as part of a larger effort to revitalize the Red Sea port city and was modeled after the Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque in Abu Dhabi.

King Hussein Mosque at Night

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 11:54:07 +0300

Amman's King Hussein mosque at night

The King Hussein mosque was built in 2005 and is the largest mosque in Jordan. I haven’t visited it yet, but I’ve spent quite a few evenings admiring it from a balcony in the Khalda neighborhood of West Amman.

Technical: Nikon D3100, ten-second exposure time, post processed from RAW with darktable.

No Noise Near the Noisy Mosque

Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:32:36 +0300

Sign forbidding sound near mosque on Rainbow Street, Amman

The irony is rich with this one, because this mosque has a sound system from another planet. If I wasn’t worried about my personal safety I’d put up a sign right next to it saying: Please mute your mosque, there is a sleeping Alan 50m away.