Here is a blast from the past. The first weekend we arrived we headed downtown and wandered aimlessly. We read in a guidebook that the Jamia Mosque was something to see so we hunted it down and soon found it. Having studied in the Middle East Studies Program (MESP) when it was based in Cairo, I had enjoyed sitting in some extremely ornate, magnificent mosques. I was really wanting to go in this one and see what I could learn about Islam in East Africa versus Islam in the Middle East.

The guards were a bit confused by my excitement I think. Darlene pointed out that Muslims in Kenya are the minority and that with all the frustration surrounding al-Shabab they were perhaps understandably wary of outsiders. Travis decided not to go in, but I was able to negotiate with the guards to allow Darlene to come in with me (the two you can see were a bit hesitant at first). I promised them Darlene would cover her hair and it was good she was wearing her spring jacket that day as it had a hood. We must have made a strange pair in their eyes.

At first they were not going to let us go further than peeking in the front door. But then, when we were at the entrance, they suddenly asked if we wanted to go in and tour the entire mosque, even though women were not supposed to be able to see all parts of it. Though feeling like we totally should, I also felt that maybe it was time to go. People were starting to stare and we did not want to offend anyone too terribly (I was willing to risk some "grrrs..." for a chance to peek inside). For info purposes, the inside was typical of my memories of mosques. A green carpet covered the floor of a very large, airy, open space with men scattered about praying underneath chandelier-like lights dangling from the ceiling (I think I remember lights dangling, I could be mixing memories now).

So out we went thanking the guards for their time. We walked to the other side of the mosque and took a photo.

The man sitting to the left of the photo among the cars gave me permission to take the photo (I asked before taking). He seemed very happy to have someone take a photo of his place of worship. Unfortunately, right after taking this shot, the man in the white galibeyeh exiting the mosque asked me not to take photos. He was confused as to why I would want to and appeared a bit perturbed. As he walked away the man by the cars told me to ignore him and that it was no problem. So I took one more.

I figure it probably is okay since google has plenty of photos of the mosque. Plus, I think the guy was more concerned that he was in the photo which I apologized for (we parted with smiles). For those interested in historical facts about the mosque, I cannot offer too many as we were not given any facts. But I did find this quote here:

The Jamia Mosque is the largest Mosque in Nairobi and one of Kenya’s most prominent religious structures. The building is well-known due to its iconic twin minarets and 3 silver domes. It retains a classic Arabic Muslim architectural style with extensive use of marble and inscriptions from the Quran. Visitors to the site who are non-Muslim may not be admitted entry to view the inside of the building.

Totally did. Stay culturally sensitive my friends.