Sunset behind the mosque
The sun dropping behind it over the sea — the shot that made it famous.
Tahir mq — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0
The white mosque that appears to float on the surface of the Red Sea, and the most photographed image of Jeddah anywhere. It was built in 1985 on piles driven into the seabed close to shore, so that at high tide the water covers the ground beneath it and it seems to float. That is the whole device, and it works completely. The style is contemporary Mamluk: a turquoise dome, a single minaret, white arches and geometric ornament, with fifty-four small domes ringing the main one. White against the blue of the sea is the picture. Inside it is lit by daylight through windows encircling the dome, hung with a large chandelier, and the space is smaller than photographs suggest — it holds about six hundred worshippers. It is a working mosque holding the five daily prayers; visiting is possible outside prayer times, and non-Muslims are not usually admitted inside but may look and photograph from outside. The best time to photograph it is shortly before sunset, when the sun drops behind the mosque directly over the sea — the shot that made it famous. It is floodlit after dark. It stands on the northern Corniche, minutes by car from King Fahd's Fountain, and the two make one evening. The visit is short — half an hour at most.
The sun dropping behind it over the sea — the shot that made it famous.
Small domes ringing the main turquoise one.
Floodlit after dark and reflected in the water beneath.
Jeddah Corniche
No. It stands on concrete piles driven into the seabed near the shore. At high tide the water covers the ground beneath and it appears to float; at low tide the supports show. The effect is purely visual but entirely convincing, in photographs and in person.
Entry inside is not generally available to non-Muslims, which is the usual rule in Saudi Arabia outside mosques designated for visits. Looking, photographing and standing on the Corniche in front of it are open to everyone without restriction — and the exterior at sunset is the best of the place in any case.
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