The Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque in Maicao, La Guajira, Colombia, is one of the largest mosques in Latin America. Inaugurated on September 17, 1997, it features a 31-meter-high minaret. Designed by Iranian architect Ali Namazi and built by civil engineer Oswaldo Vizcaino Fontalvo, the mosque covers 675 square meters with a centralized rectangular layout, a dome, and a towering minaret. The façade showcases Italian marble and round stained-glass windows. It can accommodate over 1,000 worshippers.
At the entrance, a spacious hall displays Arabic-inscribed paintings. Beyond this, a larger prayer hall is designated for men, who also gather there to break their fast during Ramadan. The ceiling features intricate engravings and ornate decorations. Women pray in an elevated section of the main hall, positioned to face Mecca. The minaret rises prominently above the structure.
Beneath the grand staircase, a special room serves for the ritual preparation of deceased Muslims before burial. The mosque has two metal drawers used to transport the deceased to the Muslim cemetery between 11th and 12th streets, where bodies are buried wrapped in cloth, without a coffin.
The entrance area includes an open hall decorated with Arabic Quranic verses. Further inside, the larger prayer hall, adorned with decorative ceiling paintings, serves as a spiritual gathering place for worshippers. The mosque stands as a significant religious and cultural landmark in the region.
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