Mosque guides: understanding, visiting and worship

Welcome to the MosqueFinder guides, a friendly, encyclopedic library about mosques and the life that surrounds them. Whether you are a Muslim traveller looking for somewhere to pray, an expatriate settling into a new city, or simply a curious visitor who has never stepped inside a mosque, these guides are written to be clear, factual and welcoming. They explain not just what a mosque is, but what it means to the people who fill it.

Four guides, one journey

Our guides are organised into four connected sections that you can read in any order.

• Understanding the mosque. Start with What is a mosque? to learn what defines a mosque, the meaning of the word masjid, the role it plays in a community, its main features, and how its architecture has evolved across the Muslim world.
• Visiting a mosque. If you are planning your first visit, Visiting a mosque walks you through etiquette, dress, what to expect and the common questions non-Muslim guests ask.
• Prayer and worship. To understand what actually happens inside, Prayer and worship in Islam covers the five daily prayers, the direction of prayer, Ramadan, the pilgrimage and the great holy mosques.
• Mosque management. For those who help run these spaces, Mosque management looks at organising, building and caring for a mosque.

From reading to finding

Guides are only half the story. When you are ready to step out of the page and into the world, use MosqueFinder to find mosques near you, or open the the interactive map to explore mosques and Muslim-life places wherever your travels take you. Every guide links back to real places, so what you learn here connects directly to somewhere you can visit today.

A mosque is never far away, and it is almost always open to a respectful visitor. We hope these guides help you feel at home before you even arrive.