Thursday, September 1, 2011

Grand Mosque trip completed!

So I finally get into the Grand Mosque.  After two failed attempts I finally make it in on the third.

There are several, no let me rephrase that, there are tons of mosques throughout the city.  I see them all the time and am interested to know what they look like inside.  The exterior, as you tell from the pictures, is very distinctive to the Middle Eastern culture.  When I notice them around town, it really gives me a feeling that I am in a foreign country.  Besides the shape of the buildings, the thing I like best about the mosques is that at night they all have beautiful glowing green lights illuminating the towers (think of the movie Green Lantern, that color).  I have not found out what this color is or represents just yet, but I know that all the mosques do this.  But you can imagine how this color sprinkled across the city enhances and all ready colorful and vibrant skyline. 

So anyway I was really looking forward to the inside of any mosque, just to see the architecture.  There was no better mosque to visit for that than the Grand Mosque.  The detail put into the place is amazing.  As Juan, a colleague, and I went on the tour, we learned how patterns on the floor correspond with patterns on the ceilings (related to the idea of "so it is on Earth so shall it be in Heaven"), and how the flowers painted on the walls in the northern part of the mosque are flowers from the northern part of the world and the ones painted in the southern part of the mosque are flowers from the southern part of the world.  We also learned that whereas all the other mosques are just lit green at night, the Grand Mosque is lit varying colors based on the moon cycle, from dark blue to white.  So whenever you see the mosque, it can be any color on that color progression.  These are just a few of the things they told us, I wish I remembered everything.

Since I was wearing shorts, I had to wear a Khadora to enter the mosque.  I asked my tour guide, officials from the Grand Mosque itself, about the khadora and if it was okay for just anyone to wear it or if you have to be Muslim or from a Middle Eastern culture.  When I asked the question he had everyone sit down as he was getting ready for a long explanation.  Most of what made it long however, was in discussing the woman's abaya.  He addressed the concerns most people had about the women being forced to wear an abaya, which apparently is not true.  The women have the option to wear it, but most do because they have grown up wearing it.  I get the sense though that women probably didn't have to wear it but weren't looked upon as well as those that did.  As for guys, the khadoras are strictly fashion and I can wear it whenever I please.  I got the go ahead from someone from the Grand Mosque!  I'll be picking one up soon. 

Overall the place was beautiful.  I will have to go back because I had my fellow LT with me, so we came did the tour, and eventually left.  I would like to go back and move through more slowly with my camera.  There were so many picturesque views that I left on the table, so I would like to go back and get them.  






2 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had fun man, I was going to ask you how do you have to dress there. I was really wondering if Tova would have to wear the abaya or could she dress like normal, but you've already answered that question..lol
    Keep the pics and the stories coming man, it's almost like I'm there with you bro.. God bless you man...

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  2. The Grand Mosque is just awesome. Truly magnificent.

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