Great Mosques
Masterpieces of Islamic architecture. 19 places, mapped and ready to build a trip around.
Plan a trip on Trailwind →Hagia Sophia
TurkeyBestVariesClimate39–86°FCurrencyTRYLanguageTurkishAirportISTA 1,500-year-old marvel that was church, mosque and wonder of the world.
Al-Masjid Al-Haram
Saudi ArabiaBestNov–FebClimate63–108°FMasjid al-Haram, also known as the Great Mosque of Mecca, is a mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, serving as the holiest and most important mosque in Islam. As of 2026, the Great Mosque is the largest mosque and most expensive building in the world.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
PalestineBestVariesClimate43–91°FThe Aqsa Mosque, also known as the Qibli Mosque or Qibli Chapel, is the main congregational mosque or prayer hall in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem. In some sources the building is also named al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, but this name primarily applies to the wider compound in which the building sits, which is itself also known as "Al-Aqsa Mosque", "Al-Aqsa" or "Haram al-Sharif".
Sultan Ahmed Mosque
TurkeyBestApr–OctClimate39–86°FCurrencyTRYLanguageTurkishThe Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque, is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was constructed between 1609 and 1617 during the rule of Ahmed I. It attracts a large number of tourists and is one of the most iconic and popular monuments of Ottoman architecture.
Dome of the Rock
PalestineBestVariesClimate43–91°FThe Dome of the Rock is an octagonal Islamic shrine at the center of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on the Temple Mount hill in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is the world's oldest surviving work of Islamic architecture, the earliest archaeologically-attested religious structure to be built by a Muslim ruler and contains the earliest inscriptions proclaiming Islam and the prophet Muhammad.
Umayyad Mosque
SyriaBestOct–MayClimate39–102°FThe Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports concerning the mosque and historic events associated with it. Christian and Muslim tradition alike consider it the burial place of John the Baptist's head, a tradition originating in the 6th century.
Temple Mount
IsraelBestVariesClimate43–91°FThe Temple Mount is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem. Once the site of two successive Temples in Jerusalem, it is now home to the Islamic compound known as al-Aqsa, which includes the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. It has been venerated as a holy site for thousands of years, including in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Süleymaniye Mosque
TurkeyBestApr–OctClimate39–86°FCurrencyTRYLanguageTurkishThe Süleymaniye Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. An inscription specifies the foundation date as 1550 and the inauguration date as 1557, although work on the complex probably continued for a few years after this.
Badshahi Mosque
PakistanBestOct–MarClimate45–102°FThe Badshahi Mosque is a Mughal-era imperial mosque located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was constructed between 1671 and 1673 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, opposite to the Lahore Fort in the northern outskirts of the historic Walled City. It is widely considered to be an iconic landmark of the country.
Selimiye Mosque
TurkeyBestVariesClimate34–93°FCurrencyTRYLanguageTurkishThe Selimiye Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque, located in the city of Edirne, Turkey. It was commissioned by Sultan Selim II and was built by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan between 1568 and 1575. It was considered by Sinan to be his masterpiece and is one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture as a whole and Ottoman architecture in particular. The mosque, together with its külliye, was included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2011.
Quba Mosque
Saudi ArabiaBestNov–MarClimate52–109°FThe Quba Mosque is a mosque located in Medina in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia, first built in the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. It is thought to be the first mosque in the world, established on the first day of Muhammad's emigration to Medina. Its first stone is said to have been laid by the prophet, and the structure completed by his companions.
Jama Masjid, Delhi
IndiaBestOct–MarClimate45–100°FCurrencyINRLanguageHindiThe Masjid-i-Jehan-Numa, commonly known as the Jama Masjid, in Old Delhi area of Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India. Its builder was the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, between 1644 and 1656, and it was inaugurated by its first Imam, Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari. Situated in the Mughal capital of Shahjahanabad, it served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors until the demise of the empire in 1857. The Jama Masjid was regarded as a symbolic gesture of Mughal power across India.
Great Mosque of Djenné
MaliBestNov–FebClimate64–106°FThe Great Mosque of Djenné in the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style is the largest adobe brick building in the world. The mosque is located in the city of Djenné, Mali, on the flood plain of the Bani River. The first mosque on the site was built around the 13th century, but the current structure dates from 1907. As well as being the centre of the community of Djenné, it is one of the most famous landmarks in Africa. Along with the "Old Towns of Djenné", it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.
Faisal Mosque
PakistanBestSep–MayClimate43–95°FThe Faisal Mosque is the national mosque of Pakistan, located in Islamabad, the capital of the country. It is the sixth-largest mosque in the world and located on the foothills of Margalla Hills. It is named after the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. Designed by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay, the mosque features a contemporary design consisting of eight sides of concrete shell and is inspired by the design of a typical Bedouin tent.
Hassan II Mosque
MoroccoBestMay, Jul, AugClimate50–82°FCurrencyMADLanguageArabicBuilt partly over the Atlantic Ocean with the world's tallest minaret at 210 meters, this working mosque can hold 25,000 worshippers and is one of the only mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors.
Cavern of the Patriarchs
PalestineBestMay–OctClimate43–90°FThis article presents a list of notable historical references to the name Palestine as a place name for the region of Palestine throughout history. This includes uses of the localized inflections in various languages, such as Latin Palaestina and Arabic Filasṭīn.
Jameh Mosque of Isfahan
IranEst. 2012BestVariesClimate27–100°FThe Jāmeh Mosque of Isfahān or Jāme' Mosque of Isfahān, also known as the Atiq Mosque and the Friday Mosque of Isfahān, is a historic congregational mosque (Jāmeh), located in Isfahan, Iran. The mosque is the result of continual construction, reconstruction, additions and renovations on the site from c. 771 CE to the end of the 20th century. The Grand Bazaar of Isfahan can be found towards the southwest wing of the mosque. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012.
Imam Ali Mosque
IraqBestNov–AprClimate45–113°FThe Imam Ali Shrine, also known as the Mosque of Ali, is the mausoleum of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the first Shia Imam, and the fourth Sunni Rashidun Caliph. It is located in Najaf, in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq. It is a profoundly holy site in Shia Islam.
Charminar
IndiaBestOct–FebClimate63–97°FCurrencyINRLanguageHindiThe Charminar is a monument located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Constructed in 1591, the landmark is a symbol of Hyderabad and officially incorporated in the emblem of Telangana. The Charminar's long history includes the existence of a mosque on its top floor for more than 434 years. While both historically and religiously significant, it is also known for its popular and busy local markets surrounding the structure, and has become one of the most frequented tourist attractions in Hyderabad.