Nobody knows for sure, but records suggest that people have been gathering to pray on the site of the Mohammed bin Salem Mosque for at least 400 years.
At that time, the settlement now known as old Ras Al Khaimah was a major maritime trading centre and the capital of the Qawassim, a dynasty who, thanks to their commercial importance and control of the Straits of Hormuz, were known from Lisbon to Beijing.
Built from coral stone and beach rock, the mosque features 60 internal columns and an impressive mangrove wood ceiling and sits on the foundations of an earlier 18th century mosque that was destroyed during the British occupation of Ras Al Khaimah in 1819/20.
For the Mohammed bin Salem Mosque, 2013 also proved to be an important year. A restoration saw the removal of many modern additions and the reconstruction of its original minara, a raised platform and stairs secured by a mangrove pole railing that was traditionally used for the call to prayer. The mosque was also included as a reference point in the latest Abu Dhabi mosque development regulations, the guidelines that will now set the standards for the planning, design and operation of new mosques across the whole of the emirate.
As those who pray at the Mohammed bin Salem Mosque already knew, this is an important building whose place in history, and the future, is already assured.
* Nick Leech
