Hagia Sophia
Istanbul, Turkey
Since Hagia Sophia became a mosque again in 2020, the way you visit it has changed.
78 tickets & tours
By type
Best mosques to visit worldwide
A mosque is a prayer hall oriented towards Mecca, and its parts are easy to read once you know them. The mihrab, a niche in the qibla wall, marks the direction of prayer; the minbar beside it is the stepped pulpit for the Friday sermon. Most mosques have a courtyard with a fountain for ablutions and one or more minarets. Decoration is geometric, floral and calligraphic rather than figurative, so look for tilework, carved stucco and the inscriptions running around domes and walls.
How to visit a mosque: dress, timing and manners — What to wear, when to go and how to behave in a mosque as a non-Muslim, and which mosques do not admit visitors at all.
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)
Istanbul, Turkey
Entry to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is free and there is no ticket to buy, so anything sold online is really a guide, a…
34 tickets & tours
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Entry to the mosque itself costs nothing. Visitors register for a free time slot through the mosque centre's…
18 tickets & tours
Hassan II Mosque
Casablanca, Morocco
The Hassan II Mosque is one of the very few mosques in Morocco that non-Muslims may enter, and the only way in is on…
12 tickets & tours
Jama Masjid, Delhi
Delhi, India
Entry to the Jama Masjid is free, and no ticket is needed for the mosque itself.
12 tickets & tours
Suleymaniye Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey
Entry to the Suleymaniye Mosque costs nothing and needs no ticket, so anything sold online for it is really a…
5 tickets & tours
Registan, Samarkand
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
The Registan is an open public square framed by three madrasas, and you can see the facades from the edge of the square…
4 tickets & tours
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
Muscat, Oman
Visiting the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque costs nothing: non-Muslims walk in through the visitors'
4 tickets & tours
Dome of the Rock
Jerusalem, Israel
There is no ticket for the Dome of the Rock. The shrine stands on the esplanade that Muslims call al-Haram al-Sharif…
3 tickets & tours
Grand Çamlıca Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey
The Grand Çamlıca Mosque is a working place of worship and costs nothing to enter.
3 tickets & tours
Great Mosque of Kairouan
Kairouan, Tunisia
Entry to the mosque is covered by the combined ticket for the monuments of Kairouan, which is sold at the tourist…
3 tickets & tours
Koutoubia Mosque
Marrakesh, Morocco
There is nothing to book for the Koutoubia itself. As in almost every mosque in Morocco, non-Muslims are not allowed…
2 tickets & tours
Uganda National Mosque (Gaddafi Mosque)
Kampala, Uganda
Visitors can simply turn up at the Uganda National Mosque.
2 tickets & tours
Al-Hakim Mosque
Cairo, Egypt
There is nothing to buy in order to enter the Al-Hakim Mosque: it is a working mosque, run by the Dawoodi Bohra…
1 ticket or tour
Al-Sahaba Mosque
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Entry to the Al-Sahaba Mosque is free, and no ticket for the mosque itself is sold.
1 ticket or tour
Eyup Sultan Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey
Entry to the Eyup Sultan Mosque and to the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari is free, and no ticket is needed or sold.
1 ticket or tour
Grand Mosque of Paris
Paris, France
The Grand Mosque of Paris sells nothing online for the mosque alone.
1 ticket or tour
Great Mosque of Algiers (Djamaa el Djazair)
Algiers, Algeria
The Great Mosque of Algiers is a functioning mosque and entry to the grounds is free;
1 ticket or tour
Great Mosque of Sousse
Sousse, Tunisia
There is no online ticket for the Great Mosque of Sousse.
1 ticket or tour
Great Mosque of Xi’an
Xi'an, China
Entry to the Great Mosque of Xi'an is paid at the gate in Huajue Lane, and no advance booking is needed for the…
1 ticket or tour
Jama Masjid, Agra
Agra, India
Agra's Jama Masjid is an active congregational mosque and charges no entry: you walk up the steps, leave your…
1 ticket or tour
Jumeirah Mosque
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Jumeirah Mosque is one of the few mosques in Dubai that non-Muslims can visit, and it can only be entered on a guided…
1 ticket or tour
Mosque of Ibn Tulun
Cairo, Egypt
No ticket is needed to enter the Mosque of Ibn Tulun. It is an active mosque, open to visitors outside prayer times,…
1 ticket or tour
Thousand Lights Mosque
Chennai, India
There is nothing to buy for the Thousand Lights Mosque itself.
1 ticket or tour
Non-Muslims are welcome in many famous mosques outside prayer times, but not everywhere: the prayer hall at Kairouan and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem are closed to them, and Hassan II Mosque is seen on guided tours. Cover shoulders and knees; women cover their hair, and scarves are usually lent at the door. Shoes come off and are carried in a bag. Mosques close to visitors during the five daily prayers and for longer at Friday midday.
The catalogue’s finest are the Blue Mosque and the Suleymaniye in Istanbul, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, where a visit slot is booked online, Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo and the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia.