Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque

Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque (Arabic: جامع الإمام تركي بن عبد الله), also known as the Grand Mosque of Riyadh^[1] or simply the Grand Mosque (Arabic: الجامع الكبير),^[2] is a congregational mosque in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located adjacent to Qasr al-Hukm while it overlooks the Deera Square. It was established during the reign of Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Saud, the founder and Imam of the Second Saudi State and was later named after him. Seating 17,000 worshippers and measuring 16,800 m2, it is one of the largest mosques in Saudi Arabia.^[3][4][3]

Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque
جامع الإمام تركي بن عبد الله
Religion
Affiliation	Sunni Islam
Location
Location	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Shown within Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates	24°37′50.6″N 46°42′38.9″E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Rasem Badran
Founder	Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud
Completed	1826–1830 (original) 1992 (restored)
Specifications
Capacity	17,000 worshippers
Interior area	16,800 m2

The exterior and upper portion of the interior is primarily brown Arriyadh Limestone ^[4] which appears golden when lit up at night.^[3] The lower portion of the interior is in white marble. The structure includes separate men's and women's libraries of 325-m2 each.

The mosque is directly connected from the first floor to al-Hukm Palace via two bridges across as-Safaat Square.^[4]

History

The mosque was rebuilt in 1992 on the site of a previous grand mosque, that was built sometime between 1826 and 1830 during the reign of Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Saud.

A Grand Mosque existed on the site for decades but was rebuilt by the Arriyadh Development Authority and reopened in January 1993.^[4]

Architecture

The minarets of the mosque previously featured a mix of Ottoman and Egyptian styles, with two rectangular sections topped by three rounded sections and a top section coming to a point with round shapes atop it. The courtyard porticos rose in a triangular with decor above. The minarets were however rebuilt in rectangular neo-Najdi style, the courtyard completely resurfaced and the porticos are now a modernized version of their former shape.^[5]

See also

• Saudi Arabia portal

• List of mosques in Saudi Arabia

References

1. Rihani (2013-10-28). Ibn Sa'Oud Of Arabia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-18745-2.
2. Holod, Renata; Khan, Hasan-Uddin; Mims, Kimberly (1997). The Contemporary Mosque: Architects, Clients, and Designs Since the 1950s. Random House Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-8478-2043-6.
3. "Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia". www.gpsmycity.com.
4. "Mosques Built by the High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh". ArRiyadh Development Authority. Archived from the original on 2017-12-20. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
5. Zuhur, Sherifa (2011-10-31). Saudi Arabia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-571-6.

External links

• Getty Images for building