Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil - Mosques Works

Mosques Works

In collaboration with the Ministry of Pilgrimage and Endowment, a program for Mosque Architecture was established for the reconstitution of traditional architecture, for the first time enabling the construction of compressive brick structures devoid of concrete.

With support from Mayor Said Farsi and Deputy Minister Hossam Khashoggi, El-Wakil now proceeded to achieve an opus of over fifteen mosques within a period of ten years. Designing single handed, he managed to delve into the evolution of the finest detail, to develop innovative building techniques, and simultaneously to achieve minarets, and vaulted and domed structures, of great daring.

Four little mosques; the Island mosque, the Corniche mosque, the Ruwais mosque and the Abraj Mosque were commissioned as part of the beautification of New Jeddah.

Five other grand mosques were commissioned in Jeddah; the Suleiman mosque, the Harithy mosque, the Azizeyah mosque, the Jufalli mosque and the monumental King Saud Mosque. They were all in brick construction and provided an opportunity to develop traditional building crafts. The brick dome of the King Saud mosque with a diameter of 20 meters and a peak height of 40 meters challenged structural engineers who refused liability for its construction without concrete. El-Wakil signed an affidavit taking full responsibility for its structure. Being directly commissioned by King Fahd and promoted by the mayor of Jeddah, El-Wakil managed to circumvent all the bureaucratic regulations that would have prevented the mosque ever being built.

Four Pilgrimage mosques of great historic significance were commissioned in Medina ( Al–Madinah Al-Munawarah - the Holy city of the Prophet):

• The design and reconstruction of the Quba Mosque built on the site where the very first mosque in Islam was erected.

• The design and reconstruction of the Qiblatain Mosque said to have been the mosque where the worshipers first changed the direction of their prayers from Jerusalem towards Makkah according to divine revelation.

• The design and reconstruction of the Friday Mosque said to have been the mosque where the first Friday prayers in Islam were performed.

• The Miqaat Al-Madinah Mosque Complex designed for pilgrims to perform their purification rites and prayers before entering the Holy city of Madinah.

Two mosques were later designed in Riyadh and one in Diraiyah on the outskirts of Riyadh. The Maydani Mosque in Riyadh was the only one built.

Another two mosques were designed for the city of Makkah:

• The Bilal Mosque, unfortunately never built, was named after the muezzin who announced the call to prayer for the Prophet Muhammad. The earlier mosque had been unfortunately demolished with the new expansions of the Haram.

• The Hafayer mosque in proximity to the Haram has just recently been completed for prayers in the month of Ramadan 2008.