Basra
The al-Musawi Grand Mosque on Algiers Street is one of the largest and best-known mosques in Basra, named after Sayyid Ali al-Musawi, a religious scholar of…
The al-Musawi Grand Mosque on Algiers Street is one of the largest and best-known mosques in Basra, named after Sayyid Ali al-Musawi, a religious scholar of the city. The present building was raised in the 1990s by the people of the neighbourhood, largely through their own contributions and labour. The mosque rises over three floors, with a richly decorated interior and one of the largest chandeliers in the city, and it hosts the daily and Friday prayers as well as gatherings on religious occasions. Visitors are made welcome and are often shown around by the people who look after it. It is in central Basra, a few minutes from the old quarter.