Al-Fatih Mosque

A visitor wanting to learn more about Islam could not do better than to visit this grand mosque, with its unpatronising, informative guides. Built on reclaimed land in 1984, Al-Fatih Mosque is the largest building in the country and is capable of holding up to 7000 worshippers. The mosque was built with marble from Italy, glass from Austria and teak wood from India, carved by local Bahraini craftspeople, and has some fine examples of interior design.

The dedicated guides lead visitors through the mosque, explaining aspects of religious etiquette while pointing out special features of mosque architecture. Visitors begin their guided tour at the small library immediately to the right, inside the main entrance, where women will be given a black cloak and headscarf to wear while visiting the prayer hall. Wearing shorts is prohibited. After the tour, visitors are welcome to free booklets in the Discover Islam series (published by the Muslim Educational Society of Bahrain) which help to dispel some of the commonly held misconceptions about Islam.