A few nights ago after work I decided I wanted to visit the state mosque of Qatar (aka the Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab Mosque) to photograph it. I had driven past it numerous times, and it’s a beautiful building. There was one photograph in particular that I was hoping to get. Although its located a ways from downtown, you can see the skyscrapers located in West Bay in the background if you’re to the East of the mosque looking West. I thought the combination of the traditional architecture of the Middle East with the modern skyscrapers in the background would create a nice contrast.
I arrived just before sunset, and wasn’t able to find quite the right location to take the picture that I had in my head. That was ok, though, because the place was incredibly beautiful, and there was plenty to photograph. I know very little about Islam, and what’s appropriate/respectful as far as taking pictures so I had planned on just taking pictures of the outside of the mosque.
After I had been there a while a man came up and introduced himself to me. His name was Yatif, and he was Pakistani. He asked me if I’d like to go inside to look around and take some pictures. He took me into the courtyard of the mosque and told me a little more about himself and a little about the mosque. The scale of the building is incredible even with just a few people there, but I imagine it’s even more incredible when it’s full. After we made our way around the courtyard, we took off our shoes and made our way into the main prayer hall. As it was in between prayer times few people were there, and Yatif explained more of the Islamic faith to me. It was quite interesting, and I’m really glad he invited me in. Learning about and understanding different cultures is one of the reasons I was excited about moving abroad, and I’m glad I got to enjoy a little of that the other night.
Here are a few of my pictures of the place…
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