Minarets In Islamic Architecture
CG: Minarets in Islamic architecture Anchor: Minarets are a part of a mosque as sometimes towers are a part of a Church. However, there is something about minarets that bothers Islamophobes Switzerland actually amended its constitution in 2009 to ban minarets Ali Khalaf and Saleha Farouq share a bit about minarets Narrator: The mosque's architecture and style can vary greatly from one country to another. Nevertheless, the main features of a mosque appear similar all over the world. And a Minaret is almost always there although not requires in Islam. The world Minaret is derived from the Arabic word manarah which means beacon It is a tall slender tower attached to a mosque or on the top of a mosque. At the top, it normally has one or more balconies or galleries. These balconies were used for a person to call adhan form or a call for prayer Minarets take many different forms. Here is the famous spiral minaret of Samarra. Tall pencil-like Ottoman Turkish minarets are all over Istanbul for all to see. The oldest minaret in Africa is in Tunisia. It was built between 724 and 727 AD and has a massive square form. This one is in Timbuktu, next to a famous learning center of Mali built in 1327. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here is one from the East London mosque. Perhaps the largest mosque in the UK. This one is in Moscow. And this one in Chicago has a great history. These minarets are a part of a mosque funded by boxing champion Muhammad Ali. It was managed by Jaber Muhammad, one-time manager of the boxing champion. Calling people to prayer or adhan was a part of Islam from Prophet Muhammad's time. God's peace and blessings be upon him. However, the minaret emerged as a part of a mosque architecture later. Civilizations build upon each other. So a minaret resembles Church towers as well. Islamophobes however feel threatened by Minarets. Muslims in the West have to go through a long process requiring them to not have a minarete. Often a compromise is achieved by reducing its height which sometimes does not make much esthetic sense. Islamophobes in Switzerland started calling minarets missiles. Switzerland went as far as amending its constitution to ban building minarets. This perhaps is the only constitution in the world dealing with a minaret. No such ban is placed on any other places of worship.
