Photo credit: Hajar Kabalu
Title: Majestic Reflection
Location: Grand Mosque, Cotabato City
1st Place Tulad Kutawato sa Shariff Kabunsuan Photo Contest
Elegant, majestic, and picture perfect – think it’s only in the UAE? This magnificent architectural structure that is as picturesque as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is actually located in Barangay Kalanganan, Cotabato City.
The Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Masjid, named after Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam who funded its construction, is the largest mosque in the Philippines built for the emerging Muslim population in Mindanao.
Its construction is reported to have cost $48 million and was opened to worshippers and visitors in 2011. Muslims in the Philippines set out on a pilgrimage every year to this magnificent structure.
A total of 800 male and 400 female worshippers can occupy the grounds of the grand mosque in the Philippines. On the other hand, a total of 41,000 people can occupy the floral-decorated grounds of the largest mosque in the UAE.
The Grand Mosque of Cotabato, like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, has 4 minarets that are 141 feet tall and 14 gold domes while the rest of the structure is pristine white, reflecting the brightness of the sun and sky.
Muslims in the Philippines will be celebrating the annual festival of Eid al-Adha on August 31 or September 1. The festival of sacrifice will mark the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
