Jamia Mosque is located on Banda Aceh Street in the Centre of Nairobi, and is the most important mosque in Kenya and the largest mosque in Africa. Gleaming silver and geometric minarets rise above Nairobi’s Jamia Mosque, which is among the most important religious buildings in Kenya. While the interior is generally only accessible to the Muslim visitors on their Kenya safaris to Nairobi, all the travelers can enjoy outside views of the mosque, easy to do while taking in nearby downtown sights. It has a wonderful architectural beauty with a place for the ablution in the both right and left sides, it stands out with its attractive façade, with the largest sacred buildings in Kenya and forms the Islamic centre of the country.
The Jamia Mosque was built in 1902 in the traditional Moorish style and completed four years later, it was founded by Syed Maulana Abdulla Shah, an extremely pious man who is still celebrated once a year by the Kenyan Muslims. Its magnificent appearance dominates the entire city centre block. The façade of the Jamia Mosque is snow-white and flanked by two slender minarets decorated with the bay windows and staircases. The picturesque domes, door and the galleries in the pastel green add an elegant touch. The mosque is crowned by the three silver domes. Decorations and furnishings made of marble, as well as ornate inscriptions from the Koran, are of course a must for a traditional Islamic building.
For a mosque in Kenya, where a good 80% of the population belongs to Christianity, it is particularly spacious. The huge prayer hall holds up to 12,000 people and welcomes the faithful with a sublime silence. Though the non-muslims are unfortunately not allowed to enter, but the mosque right next to the mosque is arrow of shops whose income goes maintaining the mosque.
The Jamia Mosque is founded with the support from the Nairobi’s African, Asian, and Arab communities, Jamia Mosque is a significant place for the Kenya’s largest Muslim population. Non -Muslims may check out the elegant interior from the street, and some walking Kenya safaris of the downtown Nairobi includes a stroll past. Friday prayers at the mosque often attract thousands of the worshippers, and the mosque complex also houses a significant Arabic library and a school.
Things to know before going to the Jamia Mosque in Kenya.
Prayers at the Jamia Mosque are posted on the mosque’s website.
A cluster of the halal restaurants are popular gathering places for the worshippers and the people working in the neighborhood.
The road to Jamia Mosque is closed on the Fridays during the Ramadan, and the traffic can be an issue even during the regular weekly prayers.
When to visit the Jamia Mosque.
It is best visited during the Friday prayer times whether you are joining in or just passing by, you will share the narrow street to the entrance with a large number of the worshippers, through the month of Ramadan the crowds are especially the big, and the road is sometimes closed. If you are visiting during this time, you can plan to use the taxis or the public transport or to come on foot.
Sightseeing near the Jamia Mosque.
Some of the downtown Nairobi’s most important sites are easy walking distance, check out the Kenyatta Mausoleum, which honors Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first president, as well as the Kenya Parliament Buildings, August 7ht Memorial Park, and the Kenya National Archives.
How to get to the Jamia Mosque in Kenya.
With a central location between the Banda street and Kigali Street in the downtown Nairobi, It can be reached by a taxi or public means of transport. A cluster of bus stops are located on the nearby Kenyatta Avenue, and the lines 24C, 46K and 46Y stop just a block or two away from the main entrance. And if you are visiting downtown as a part of a guide safaris, the operator may offer you a convenient hotel pickup and drop-off.
