MOHAMMED EL-AMINE MOSQUE

At the intersection of Martyrs Square and Emir Bechir Street, one cannot miss the imposing Sunni Mohammed el-Amine Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. Adjacent to the St. George Cathedral of the Maronites and Martyrs Square, this mosque is the largest in Lebanon with its 9,700 ^{square meters of} built area, 5 domes and 4 minarets 65 meters high. It was built on the site of the Abu Nasr souk, where there was a zawiya, a prayer space where members of a Sufi brotherhood used to gather. The modernization of this space and the construction of a monumental mockery had been desired as early as the 1950s, but the civil war had halted this project, which remained a dead letter. Its construction (from 2002 to 2007), entirely financed by the billionaire Rafik Hariri, cost more than 20 million dollars (the tomb of the assassinated former Prime Minister is located right next to it). It was his son Saad Hariri who officially inaugurated it on 17 October 2008. Erected in the Ottoman style with local stones (chemlan), the El-Amine mosque can accommodate 6,400 worshippers. The architecture was signed by Azmi Fakhoury. From the entrance door, it is possible to admire the huge prayer hall facing Mecca and the imposing chandelier. Outside of prayer hours, it is possible to visit the interior, provided that one is decently dressed: no shorts or marcel, therefore. Sails and abayas are also provided for tourists.