Al-Jaffali Mosque

The Jaffali Mosque was designed and built in 1987 by the Egyptian architect Abdelwahed El-Wakil, making it not only one of the most famous mosques in Jeddah but also one of the earliest mosques in the city. The famed architect was tasked with creating the construction, and he drew inspiration for the building's architecture from the city's elegant and historic neighborhoods. 

Highlights:

• This mosque is more than 3,000 square meters and is characterized by its 20 ornate domes. It also covers a total area of more than 20 acres. The Al Balad neighborhood and the Al Bayaa roundabout are within walking distance of the property.

• The layout of the mosque is in the shape of a rectangle, and it contains an open courtyard bordered by an arcade topped by a series of miniature domes. After passing through this courtyard, one arrives at a square prayer hall in a hypostyle.

• Each hypostyle arrangement's twenty-five bays are topped with a small dome held by pendentives. There are a total of fifty domes on the structure. 

• The men's entrance provides access to the prayer hall via the courtyard, whereas the women's entrance is directly connected to a staircase that leads to the women's mezzanine on the first floor. Both entrances are located on the ground floor. 

• Steps can be found along the eastern and western facades of the mosque, and these lead up to the primary interior space of the building, which is situated on an elevated platform that the entire structure is built upon. The mihrab is located on the eastern facade of the building; therefore, worshipers entering the men's prayer hall must make a full turn to the left to face the Qibla and pray in the correct direction. This is because the mihrab is on the eastern facade of the building.

• While the men's prayer space entry leads to an arched passage topped by a dome and is connected to the ablution facilities through six double doors, the area adjacent to the mihrab contains a big dome. The women's prayer area is on the western side of the building, and its entrance leads to steps connecting to a prayer hall on the first floor.