GREAT MOSQUE AHMED AL FATEH

The holiest place in Bahrain! The Great Ahmed al Fateh Mosque is first and foremost a major center of Islamic studies, comprising a mosque, a library, a madrasa and the Sheikh Isa Cultural Center. Inaugurated in 1988 by the late King Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Ahmed Al Fateh Mosque is one of the largest places of worship in the region. It is named after Ahmed ibn Muhammad Al Khalifa, nicknamed Al Fateh ("The Conqueror"), founder of the dynasty in the ^18th century.

Bahrain's history with Islam began in the ^7th century, when Abu Al-Ala'a Al-Hadhrami arrived in the archipelago as an envoy of the Prophet, bearing a missive inviting the population to embrace Islam. The local king, Al-Tamimi, called a meeting of the tribal chiefs, who unanimously accepted the new faith. Bahrain thus became the first region outside the Arabian Peninsula to embrace Islam, well before the great conquests of the Caliphate. This early conversion explains Bahrain's special spiritual role in the Gulf.

The mosque's architecture reflects the country's image: a synthesis of Islamic tradition and contemporary design. It can accommodate up to 7,000 worshippers under a huge central dome made entirely of fiberglass: with a diameter of over 24 meters and a weight of 60 tons, it is one of the largest in the world. This choice of material, unusual in religious architecture, was dictated by technical constraints linked to the ambient salinity, as well as the Gulf's sweltering, humid climate.

The mosque is decorated according to the codes of Islamic art, banishing all human or animal representation in favor of geometry and calligraphy. The walls are covered with inscriptions in Kufi style, an angular, monumental script that originated in Kufa, Iraq, and is considered the purest form of Arabic calligraphy. The inscriptions include verses from the Koran, invocations and maxims from the prophetic tradition.

The interior is distinguished by the refinement of its materials: Italian marble for the floor, carved teak wood from India for the doors and decorative elements, Austrian crystal for the immense chandeliers. The largest of these hangs under the dome: it is 6 metres high, weighs 3.5 tonnes and contains over 250 lamps. These chandeliers were chosen for their optical quality: they diffuse a warm light that highlights the arabesque reliefs and accentuates the architectural lines without dazzling.

Before entering the prayer room, visitors cross an open-air courtyard surrounded by semicircular arches. In one corner, the basin for ritual ablutions reminds us that hygiene is a cardinal virtue in Islam: it is forbidden to pray without first purifying oneself. To the right of the main entrance is the reception area. This is where the guides, trained on site, welcome visitors. Many of them speak excellent French. Women can borrow an abaya, the long dress required to enter a Muslim place of worship, free of charge.

Once inside the masjid, the atmosphere is surprisingly calm, despite the building's monumental dimensions. The hall is divided by massive columns that support secondary domes, decorated with Koranic friezes and stylized floral motifs. Custom-made red carpets delineate the prayer rows, oriented towards the qibla. The mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Mecca, is inlaid with Persian-style gold and turquoise earthenware, while the minbar (preaching pulpit) is made of hand-carved wood.

But the mosque is not just a place of prayer. It houses a vast library containing over 50,000 works, including numerous ancient manuscripts on Islamic jurisprudence, Koranic exegesis, mathematics, astronomy and Arabic grammar. Some volumes date back to the Abbasid era. The establishment regularly attracts researchers from all over the world, notably during seminars organized by the cultural center. The latter regularly hosts conferences open to the public on the history of Islam in the region, contemporary Islamic law and debates on the place of science in the Arab world.

When the weather's fine, the gardens surrounding the main building allow you to view the mosque from different angles. The harmony between the different parts is striking: slender minarets, secondary domes balancing the large central dome, alternating smooth surfaces and sculpted reliefs. The proportions follow the classical canon of Islamic architecture, where each element responds to a mathematical logic designed to evoke divine order.

Finally, the mosque plays a central role during the month of Ramadan. It welcomes thousands of worshippers for night prayers(taraweeh), and organizes a collective iftar every evening, where volunteers distribute free meals.

Visits must be accompanied by a guide, and only outside prayer times. But waiting times are usually very short: the mosque's team is made up of several French-speaking guides. The tour ends with a quick, practical presentation of the main principles of Islam.