Sharjah has over 600 Mosques, but the Al Noor Mosque is often regarded as the most famous. The word Noor in Arabic means "light". The Al Noor Mosque stands majestically beside the Khalid Lagoon on Buhaira Corniche.
The Al Noor Mosque was built by order of the wife of the ruler of Sharjah, her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed al Qassimi, and completed in 2005. It can house 2,200 people in total for prayer which includes 400 in the ladies section and 1,800 in the men's section.
The architectural design of Al Noor Mosque has influences of classical Turkish Ottoman architecture, and there are elements that are similar to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul (also known as the Blue Mosque). The main entrance is flanked on both sides by 2 graceful minarets which soar into the sky at a height of 52 meters.
One of the eye catching features of the exterior is the elegant cascading domes, of which there are 34 in total. The central dome is surrounded by several half domes and finally at each corner by four small cupola domes. The interior of the central dome reaches a height of 31.5 meters.
The exterior of the mosque is complemented with ornamental repetitive floral cornices around the edge of the roof and the arched doorways and windows.
The interior of the domes are highly decorated with a combination of floral, geometric and other interlaced patterns. These arabesque patterns are made up of a number of repeated geometric elements.
The prayer hall is a large, but peaceful and serene open space with arches, pillars and collonettes (small columns) which are intrically decorated.
For more detailed descriptions, please see the corresponding image pages.
(This and the information on all the image pages is taken from a leaflet of the Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication)
Open for non-muslim visitors
The Al Noor Mosque is the first mosque in Sharjah to be visited by non-muslim visitors within a guided tour that informs about Islam and cultural aspects of the life in the UAE. Photographs and cameras are permitted during the Mosque visit.
Fore more information, please consult:
Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication