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The word Mosque comes from the word Masjid which means to ‘bow down
before Allah’. A Mosque is where Muslims come together to worship and
bow down to God. Praying is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Mosques are usually rectangular. If you visit a Mosque you will see a
Mihrab on the outside of the Mosque on the Qibla wall. Qibla mean’s
‘direction’ and the mihrab, which can be seen from both the inside and the
outside, tell’s Muslims where the direction of Mecca is. Muslims always
pray facing Mecca as it is the holiest city in their faith and is home to the
Ka’bah, which represents the house of God.
Mosques throughout the world often have a tall tower called a Minaret,
although this is not so common in the United Kingdom. In many churches
here a bell will be rung to tell people it is time to come to church to pray.
In a Mosque a man called a Muezzin also calls the Islamic faithful to
prayer, but instead of ringing a bell he uses his voice and calls from the top
of the Minaret.