Grand Anwar Mosque

The Grand Anwar Mosque (Arabic: مسجد الأنوار الكبير, Amharic: ታላቁ የአንዋር መስጊድ), also called Al-Anwar Mosque or simply Anwar Mosque and sometimes "Jama'a Salat" ("place where people pray"),[1] is the largest and oldest mosque in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia located in a place of Merkato within Arada district. It was built by Italians around 1922 and finished with assistance of Muslim funds after 16,000 birr remained unpaid for contractor.

Grand Anwar Mosque
ታላቁ የአንዋር መስጊድ (Amharic)
مسجد الأنوار الكبير (Arabic)
Anwar Mosque in 2016
Religion
AffiliationIslam
StatusActive
Location
LocationKenya Street, Merkato, Arada, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Geographic coordinates9.033269°N 38.741065°E / 9.033269; 38.741065
Architecture
StyleIslamic
Date established1922

Overview

Grand Anwar Mosque is located in Merkato, in Arada district of Addis Ababa. It was built by the Italian government around 1922.[2][3][4][5][6] The mosque is the largest and one of the oldest mosques (masjid) in Addis Ababa. The mosque has unique architecture with white and green colors.[4]

After the Italians left unfinished, Muslims collected money to resume the construction. When the construction completed, 16,000 ETB were not paid to the contractor, which led to closure for couple of days by court order. The mosque then reopened as an individual covered payment.[7]

During fasting periods, thousands of people gather in the mosque compound and man can carry incense to smell inside the mosque. A portable podium placed to the middle of green pillars supporting the white outer walls and domes that form spectacular façade of the mosque.[5]

Notable incidents
  • On 21 February 1995, violent clash erupted between the police and supporter of the then second vice-chairman of the Ethiopian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, causing 40 members of Muslim elite arrested and 9 people deaths.[8] The incident produced shock among Muslim residents and a number of Islamic periodicals were ceased for publication since 1991. Between late 1995 and early 1996, there were eight tabloids published in Amharic that contains religious and secular subjects and relevant ideas connected to Islam. The distribution of these papers has been contentious among Islam community which believed the press publication in Amharic could shape the Muslim culture.[9]
  • On 11 December 2015, a grenade attack occurred during evening prayers which left 10 people wounded according to the government. Information Minister Getachew Reda said the attack was under investigation and authorities remained unsure.[10][11]

References
  1. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Ethiopia: Information on whether the Grand Anwar Mosque in Addis Ababa is also known as the Jama'a Salat mosque". Refworld. Archived from the original on 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  2. "The Grand Anwar Mosque". www.addisababa.travel. Archived from the original on 2022-05-14. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  3. "Filming in Addis Ababa the Capital of Ethiopia - Producer in Ethiopia". Film Fixers Ethiopia. Archived from the original on 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  4. "Anwar Mosque". Visit Ethiopia. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  5. "Ethiopia's Muslims mark the Prophet's birthday". worldbulletin.dunyabulteni.net. Archived from the original on 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  6. "Road to Ethiopia". Arab News. 2012-04-01. Archived from the original on 2013-07-19. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  7. Abdulwehab, Kemal (2011). "Abdulfätah Abdällah, 2008-2010, The history of Addis Abäba mosques, vol.1 et 2". Annales d'Éthiopie. 26 (1): 311–318. Archived from the original on 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  8. State, United States Department of (1996). Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995: Report Submitted to the Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-16-052480-6. Archived from the original on 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  9. Ahmed, Hussein (1998). "Recent Islamic Periodicals in Ethiopia (1996-1998)". Northeast African Studies. 5 (2): 7–21. doi:10.1353/nas.1998.0007. ISSN 0740-9133. JSTOR 41931160. S2CID 143535156.
  10. "Ethiopia's Grand Anwar Mosque hit by 'grenade attack'". BBC News. 2015-12-11. Archived from the original on 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  11. Admin (2015-12-11). "Ethiopia : bomb exploded at Anwar Mosque during peaceful demonstration (Video)". Borkena Ethiopian News. Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
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