The rocky brown soil of the Negev desert suggests an empty environment, but recent excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority have brought to light an ancient mosque from the 7th-8th centuries CE there. It’s one of the earliest known mosques in the world, a surprising find in the area. Dr. Jon Seligman and Shahar Zur, […]
I recently spent a weekend in Istanbul, one of my most beloved cities. My hotel was based in Fatih, the run down section of the old town, and it overlooked the Little Aya Sofya mosque – also spelled Sophia, or Sofia. The morning before I flew, I thought it would be the perfect moment to […]
Jara Mosque in Gabes boasts the tallest minaret in all of Tunisia and now it is covered in el Seed’s signature calligraffiti. Exactly one year after the Jasmine revolution, the French/Tunisian graffiti artist took on his largest project to date in creative protest against the intolerance shown by both artists and hard line Islamists since […]
We’ve featured some of the world’s most beautiful mosques on Green Prophet, but this is the first that resembles a cave. Slated for a prairie landscape in Buyuk Cekmece on the outskirts of Istanbul, the Sancaklar Mosque by Emre Arolat Architects is designed to offer genuine reprieve from the growing madness of urban life. This […]
The Malacca Straits Mosque in Malaysia is arguably the world’s most beautiful and it is vulnerable to rising seas. Malaysia is one of the few countries that share Dubai’s obsession with manmade islands and grandeur. We have often cast a critical eye on the Emirate’s core developers for building artificial islands that have wrecked havoc […]
Is augmented reality projections the new fireworks of the Middle East? We hope so To celebrate a wedding it is common for Middle East men to shoot guns into the air, with stray bullets eventually falling to the sky, killing wildlife and sometimes people. This still happens in Gaza and Jordan for instance, although authorities […]
Green is the colour in vogue as Saudis celebrate a holiday for thriving almost 110 years as a Kingdom. But why does 'green' mean clean, and what environmental pride does the KSA proclaim? Read more on why 'green' is more than just a pretty eco-colour.
The Dome of Khan Younis: As Palestine puts a bid in for statehood later this month, local Palestinians volunteer to repairing mosque damage.
Qatar is currently in the process of issuing new guidelines which mean that all new mosques built in the country will be more environmentally friendly From its humble beginnings during the time of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) to modern incarnations, such as those futuristic designs envisaged for the green mosque of Cambridge, the Eco-Mosque has […]
Explore the world's five most renowned and low-key "eco mosques" - Muslim places of worship - that are either high tech or made from mud.
A rising number of Emiratis are concerned about water scarcity and what it could mean for future generations In the United Arab Emirate the average citizen consumes 550 litres of water per capita daily, which is three times the global average and quite high for a country located in the water-scarce Middle East. Despite this […]
The ‘Green Mosques’ project hopes to help conserve water and electricity at 300 mosques- and save around US$1.5 million every year Water scarcity in the Middle East is nothing new- in fact, the region has been struggling to cope with drought and water shortages for centuries. The only problem is that today, modern urbanisation and […]
This beautiful temple of light creates a subliminal healing effect for distraught visitors as soon as they enter its doors. Goodness knows we could use a little healing. Japanese residents are faced with a potential nuclear meltdown, the consequences of which are almost too horrible to imagine. Libyans are experiencing untold suffering as one man […]
Another mosque has taken up the battle against climate change and gone Eco- this time in Turkey When a nuclear plant was proposed for the Turkish village of Buyukeceli, the residents decided to demonstrate their resistance not through protest and petitions but by highlighting the viability of renewable energy. Using the support of Greenpeace, they […]
When the controversy subsides and construction begins, “Park 51,” otherwise known as the “Ground Zero Mosque,” will be LEED certified Green mosques are sprouting up all over the world. We brought news of the first eco-mosque in Cambridge, but now in the midst of the chaos and controversy surrounding the Ground Zero Mosque, organizers have […]