Eid al-Fitr is a time for faith, feasting, community, and culture. While we often boast of the Philippines’ heritage churches, the country’s mosques are architectural, historical, and cultural treasures every Filipino can admire and take pride in.
To celebrate Eid, we highlight some of the most important mosques in the country from Manila to Mindanao.
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque
Tamontaka Bubong Road, Cotabato City, Maguindanao
Year built/established: 2011
Also known as the Cotabato Grand Mosque, it is the largest mosque in the country, and the second-largest in Southeast Asia. Designed by Felino Palafox, Jr., and built on land by the mouth of the Tamontaka River, it can accommodate up to 15,000 worshippers for congregational prayer. It is named after its chief donor, the 29th and reigning Sultan of Brunei.
(Read: LOOK: PH’s largest mosque seven years after its opening)
The Golden Mosque (Masjid al-Dahab)
Globo de Oro Street, Quiapo, Manila
Year built/established: 1976
Located meters from the famous Quiapo Basilica, the mosque boasts of a golden dome as its main feature, and colorful mosaics on its outer walls. Able to hold thousands of worshippers for Friday prayers, it is one of Manila’s largest mosques and is central to Quiapo’s vibrant Filipino Muslim enclave. Near the mosque, restaurants offering various ethnic Mindanaoan cuisines, as well as shops, are located.
Dimaukom Mosque (The Pink Mosque)
Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao
Year built/established: 2014
With the land and money donated by the town mayor, the mosque was built in the middle of a field, worked upon by both Muslims and Christians in a show of solidarity. The mosque’s unusual color was chosen to reinforce this spirit of love, unity, and peaceful coexistence.
The Blue Mosque and Cultural Center
Mindanao Avenue, Maharlika Village, Taguig
Year built/established: ca. 1976
Designed by architect Angel Nakpil, the Blue Mosque’s clean lines and courtyard take cues from the architecture of Cordoba in Spain. The structure’s touches of blue include the tip of its minaret, the arches of the main prayer hall, as well as the interior and exterior of its dome. Nestled in a quiet part of the metropolis, it is a hub for both local and visiting Muslims, who may use facilities such as its madrassah (religious school), dormitory, library, and clinic.
Marawi Grand Mosque
Makalilay Street, Marawi, Lanao del Sur
Year built/established: ca. 1950s
Built by the Agus River that empties into Lake Lanao, the Islamic Center—with its twin minarets, dark green dome, and learning facilities—was an icon at the heart of the predominantly Muslim city. Like the rest of the city, it was destroyed during the 2017 siege that caused thousands of residents to flee over the course of five months. Efforts to rehabilitate the 2,500 sq. m. structure are giving way to proposals for building a separate mosque as the new center of life for a city on the rise.
Sheikh Karim al Makhdum Mosque
Tubig-Indangan, Simunul Island, Tawi-Tawi
Year built/established: ca. 1380
A National Historical Landmark, it is the oldest existing mosque in the country. Built by the sea in the late 14th century by Arab missionaries, it was named after the group’s leader, who was a trader, and is buried on the mosque’s premises. Inside the main prayer hall are four supporting posts of centuries-old black ipil, the remnants of the structure’s earlier incarnations.
Taluksangay Mosque
Taluksangay, Zamboanga City
Year built/established: 1885
The Taluksangay Mosque is the oldest in western Mindanao. With its red-domed prayer hall and minaret and clean, bright interiors, the mosque was built in the 19th century by Haji Abdullah Maas Nuno. The picturesque riverside building became a hub for Islamic learning and culture in the region since its construction.
Photos courtesy of Inquirer
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