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Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Tinmal, Atlas, Morocco, Great Mosque, 12th century (Almohads), severely damaged in the strong earthquake on September 8, 2023.
Samarkand, Registan, Ulugh Beg Madresa, Ulugh Beg with scholars (astronomers)
Mada'in Saleh, Saudi Arabia: driving with my Nissan XTerra from Doha, Qatar to Berlin in Nov. 2016
King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (ITHRA), Dahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Camels in Shahaniyya, Qatar before the race
'Imperial Days' in Constantinople, Kaiser Wilhelm II and Mehmed V in the carriage, 1917
Nemrud Dağı, Eastern Turkey (1988)
Iznik plate with Panther, wearing a bell on a chain, 16th c., Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), Doha, Qatar
Camel ride next to the Pyramids (in the background Agfa advertisment): photo album documenting a Mediterranean trip (1928)
Al Nuri Mosque in Mosul
The Al Nuri Mosque in Mosul was commissioned in 1170 CE by the Zengid ruler Nur al-Din after the capture of Mosul, and construction was completed in 1172 CE. Structural changes were made in the 19th and 20th centuries (1860, 1942) before the mosque and its famous tilted minaret, at 60 meters the tallest in Iraq, were blown up and almost completely destroyed by IS (Islamic State) fighters on June 21, 2017.
In April 2018, an agreement for the reconstruction of the mosque and minaret was signed between UNESCO, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq (cost: USD 50.4 million, duration: 5 years). The work was completed in 2024 (minaret) and 2025 with the inauguration of the mosque on September 1st.
Further information can be found here: Clemente-Ruiz, Aurélie, Institut du Monde Arabe (ed.): From Mosul to Palmyra: A Virtual Journey through the World Heritage Site (2019), esp. pp. 40–41.
The 'City of the Dead', one of the large Islamic cemeteries in Cairo, is in great danger. The first mausoleums have already been demolished, parts of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, but there is also resistance by local and international communities. ardaudiothek.de/episode/die-re
Sundials have existed for more than 3,500 years in a wide variety of formats and on various buildings.
Sundials can be found, for example, on medieval churches and monasteries in Armenia and Georgiabut also on Islamic buildings, e.g. on a minaret of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. From a distance, they can easily be overlooked on the walls.
