The minaret
Slender, two balconies.
Reinhard Dietrich — CC0 · sailko — CC BY-SA 3.0 · sailko — CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Brantley — CC BY-SA 2.0
The Mosque of the Rightly Guided Caliphs is the great mosque of central Asmara, Eritrea's capital, and one of the city's three most prominent buildings along with the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and Enda Mariam Cathedral. It is known for its slender white minaret, its domes and its broad open square. It is part of the city of Asmara on the World Heritage List since 2017. The architect Guido Ferrazza designed it, and it was built in the late 1930s during the Italian colonial period. Its large complex combines rationalist, classical and Islamic styles. Muslims make up about half the city's population, and the mosque is the centre of their religious life. You see a pale cream mosque with an arcaded front, a green dome and smaller domes, and a tall slender white minaret with two balconies. A wide paved square lies before it, ringed by trees and low walls. Streets of warm-coloured Italian-era buildings run on either side. It stands in central Asmara, near the market and the Cinema Impero. Non-Muslims usually view it from outside. Dress modestly and avoid prayer times. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Eritrea, and all travel near its land borders, so read the current advice before you plan.
Slender, two balconies.
On top.
Broad and paved.
Central Asmara, Eritrea
The architect Guido Ferrazza.
Yes, the UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Eritrea.
