Al-Bidyah Mosque

500 year old Mosque in UAE

Introduction

About 35 kilometers north of Fujairah city, the mud-brick Al-Bidyah Mosque is the oldest in the United Arab Emirates and was named after the town that once surrounded it. The engineering features are a major accomplishment for the period of construction.

Details

The mosque consists of a prayer hall, decorated with arches and featuring ventilation openings and a mihrab (prayer niche pointing to Mecca). A central pillar divides the internal space into four squares of similar dimensions, covered by domed ceilings.

The site surrounding the mosque has been excavated to reveal that it has been inhabited for 4,000 years. A large Islamic graveyard just to the north contains a massive tomb dating back to the Iron Age, which when unearthed revealed fragments of pottery, metal arrowheads, and other artifacts dating back to at least 1000 BC.