Minarets in the western hemisphere

Cirrus · #1 Posted **Mar 16, 2011, 9:24 PM**

Since the tallest churches thread has been so interesting, I thought it would be fun to ask about major minarets in the western hemisphere. Minarets are basically comparable to church steeples, except they're on Islamic mosques instead. Since there aren't that many traditional mosques in the western hemisphere, I imagine bona fide minarets are quite rare. Does your city have any?

By far the most famous and largest mosque in Washington is the Islamic Center of Washington, which has a single 160-foot-tall minaret.

brickell · #2 Posted **Mar 16, 2011, 9:52 PM**

We have fake ones in our Moorish Revivaled suburb of Opa Locka. Our mosques are more subdued affairs.

src: http://www.artcafemiami.com/revues.html

arkhitektor · #3 Posted **Mar 16, 2011, 9:59 PM**

As far as I know, this is the only minaret in Utah, at the Khadeeja Mosque in W. Valley City:

It's not huge, but I suppose its more that exists in most US Cities.

Is there any symbolism in the number of minarets in a particular mosque?

ColDayMan · #4 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 3:44 AM**

The Toledo Mosque...I'm going to guess the minarets around 100ish feet?

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_C4RIN5_ctHw/Sn...edo+in+USA.jpg

The Cincinnati (West Chester) Mosque...about 100ish feet as well.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics...cincinnati.jpg

There's a prominent mosque in the Clifton neighborhood but it's an urban mosque and basically has no minaret.

The Dayton and Columbus mosques do not have minarets. Though Dayton's Hindu temple blows the city's mosque out of the water:

http://www.ohioindia.us/images/dayton-temple2.jpg

photoLith · #5 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 4:23 PM**

I dont think Ive ever seen any minarets in America before and Ive been a lot of places. I dont even think there are any in Houston, I never saw one. hmmm

Nevermind, there does appear to be one.

http://www.isgh.org/

LMich · #6 Posted **Mar 18, 2011, 4:29 AM**

Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan has twin minarets that I've seen listed at 200 feet, though, nothing nailed down. The whole place has a kind of tacky, suburban mega-church feel to it, unfortunately.

Lowell

It bills itself as the "largest mosque in North America." Not sure if it's actually true or not.

pj3000 · #7 Posted **Mar 18, 2011, 4:55 AM**

Buenos Aires Mosque - Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

-largest mosque in Latin America
-donated by the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia

http://majestad.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/rey-fahd-mosque-centro-cultural-islamico-rey-fahd-buenos-aires-argentine/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpriegu...n/photostream/

photoLith · #8 Posted **Mar 18, 2011, 5:27 AM**

I want to know, do they play the call to worship from these mosques, that probably would royally piss off any nearby Christians.

dimondpark · #9 Posted **Mar 18, 2011, 5:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LMich

Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan has twin minarets that I've seen listed at 200 feet, though, nothing nailed down. The whole place has a kind of tacky, suburban mega-church feel to it, unfortunately.

Lowell

It bills itself as the "largest mosque in North America." Not sure if it's actually true or not.

Impressive. Reminds me of Istanbul.

LMich · #10 Posted **Mar 18, 2011, 5:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Impressive. Reminds me of Istanbul.

I guess in the most general sense. Really, the size is impressive, but the architecture is cheap and kitchsy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by photolitherland

I want to know, do they play the call to worship from these mosques, that probably would royally piss off any nearby Christians.

Yes, the call to prayer is broadcast from certain mosques in Dearborn and Detroit. It's also allowed in Hamtramck, a Detroit enclave, where it's been much more controversial, as the city is much smaller than the others (2 square miles) and governed completely for years by the Polish Catholic majority. The city held a non-binding referendum in 2004 after the council upheld the call to prayer (they amended their noise ordinance), and that referendum passed 55%/45%

Cirrus · #11 Posted **Mar 18, 2011, 2:06 PM**

It would make sense for Michigan to have the biggest mosque. Isn't the largest Muslim community in the country there?

I found a list of mosques in the DC area and used Bing Maps to check each one for minarets. There are a ton of mosques, but most are in normal commercial or residential-looking buildings. Only a few look like religious buildings, and even fewer have minarets. I found two:

Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring, MD:

source: Larisa Epatko, PBS.org

Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque in Falls Church, VA

source: AP/Jose Luis Magana

photoLith · #12 Posted **Mar 29, 2011, 3:28 AM**

Believe it or not, I was pretty shocked myself, but I came across a mosque out in eastern Arkansas last week in Jonesboro. They had barbed wire all around it but while taking photos, the Imam of the mosque or whatever you call them let me take some photos of them praying inside the building. Ill show those photos on a thread Ill be making later tonight though.

photo by me

There also were bullet holes in the building from angry rednecks that regularly shoot up the building and or throw eggs at it. There were dozens of bullet holes in the minaret and the Imam told me that after 9/11 a mob of around 300 Christians from Arkansas State, which is located in Jonesboro, came and tried to break down the fence and get into the building and tear it up. The cops came and dispersed them luckily.