GREAT MOSQUE in SEOUL . :)

- SEOUL CENTRAL MOSQUE -

Located in the center of Seoul in Itaewon, the Seoul Central Mosque is Korea’s first permanent mosque and the only mosque in Seoul. The mosque and Islamic center were erected in 1976 with the help of a generous donation of land from the Korean government and large monetary contributions from Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries that funded all construction and operational costs.

The mosque is made up of three floors: on the first floor is the Korea Muslim Federation office and meeting room, on the second floor is the men’s musalla (prayer hall), and on the third floor is the women’s musalla (prayer hall). In addition to the mosque (masjid) itself, there is a secondary building on the premises that houses a madrasah, an educational institution for the Muslim children to learn about Islamic culture and religion, the Islamic Cultural Research Center and other Islamic-related organizations.

Korea's First Mosque

The Seoul Central Mosque stands tall at the top of a hill, smack dab in the middle of Korea’s most international neighborhood. The entrance of the mosque is decorated in blue mosaic tiles and a sign that states in Arabic, “lā ilāha illallāh, Muhammad rasūlu-llāh” (There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of God), a religious creed that is recited during prayer called the Shahada. Beyond the entrance is the masjid, an exotic-looking building that can be seen nowhere else in Korea. With its towering twin white minarets, the mosque is a visually arresting piece of Islamic architecture. 

The mosque is open to both Korean Muslims and Muslim tourists and prayers are conducted several times a day, allowing visiting Muslims to perform their five daily prayers. Sermons are conducted in English, Arabic, and Korean, and each praying session lasts about 10 – 15 minutes. In the center of the masjid is a green sign that states “Allāhu Akbar” (God is Great).

Praying in the Masjid 

Visitors must take the stairs up to the musallas. The men’s musalla is located on the second floor, and can be accessed through the entrance located at the top of the central stairs. The women’s musalla is located on the third floor, and can be accessed through the entrance located next to the office on the first floor. The women’s musalla overlooks the men’s musalla, so that they may all worship and pray as one.   

The floor of the main musalla is covered with bright red carpet with lines drawn on it. The lines are there so that the worshippers may line themselves evenly, shoulder to shoulder, side by side. There is a dome located directly above the main musalla, allowing for natural light to filter in. The semicircular niche in middle of the front wall of the masjid is the mihrab, a niche that indicates the direction of Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying. (This is the direction in which all Muslims pray.) To the right of the mihrab is the minbar, a pulpit in the masjid where the Imam (leader of prayer) stands to deliver sermons during Friday prayers. To the left of the mihrab is a timepiece with seven clock faces. The largest clock face tells the current time, and five of the six small clock faces tell the times of the five daily prayers. The last small clock face tells the time of the Friday prayer (Jumma prayer). Praying session times differ day to day, depending on what time the sun rises. 

During a regular week, the mosque attracts the most people during Jumma prayers, regularly drawing in up to 800 worshippers. However during the year, the mosque attracts the most people during the Eid holidays (two important religious holidays celebrated by Muslims worldwide), so many people in fact that worshippers are often seen praying outside on the roads all around the mosque using their prayer mats.

Mosque at Itaewon Seoul - South Korea

street towards to Mosque

Seoul Central Mosque entrance 

"ALLAHUAKBAR"

Secondary Building of Seoul Central Mosque includes a madrasah (educational institution) for Muslim children

a female student wearing long skirt to entrance secondary building

The entrance to the men’s musalla (prayer hall) is located at the top of the central stairs

The entrance to the women’s musalla (prayer hall) is located next to the office on the first floor 

Inside of the main Musalla (Prayer Hall)

Worshippers line themselves up shoulder to shoulder using these lines

bookshelves the walls with many Quran there 

clocks to the loft of Mihrab

Mihrab

Mimbar

Mosque Dome

A place for performing Wudhu. Wudhu is the ritual washing performed by Muslims before prayer. Muslims must be clean and wear good clothes before they present themselves before God.

Source : visitseoul.net

something that made me so touching is Korea also so caring about Minority Religion there ..

as we know, main religion there was Katholik Rome or Protestan and etc .

number of Muslims were only 0,4% of all the Korean population .

but they have Great Mosque and Madrasah . :')

hope i can go there soon . :)

ISLAM IS NOT A TERRORIST, SO PLEASE WASTE YOUR MIND ABOUT IT !!