The Open Door Web Site : Living History Project : Islam : Visit to a Mosque

Visit to a Mosque: Guide
The mosque is the place of worship for Muslims. Here the faithful meet on Fridays, the Muslim holy day . Usually the mosque is walled off from the rest of the city and you go through the main gates.
	A tower called the minaret is used by the muezzin to call the faithful to prayer.
Inside there is a central courtyard with a washing fountain. Before entering the hall of prayer you have to take off your shoes, wash your feet, face ,hands and arms. Often there are baths if you want a complete wash.
The Muslim then enters the hall of prayer and turns to face Mecca, in the south - east (if you are in Paris). There is an alcove called the mirhab in the side of the wall facing Mecca. In a kind of elevated stand called the minbar, the imam or prayer leader leads the faithful in prayer. There is no clergy in a mosque and any wise, scholarly man can have the role of iman. Similarly there is no formal instruction or admission ceremony to become a Muslim. You simply recite the Shahada (see your work on the Five Pillars) in front of another Muslim, believing in the recitation, and you become a Muslim yourself.

Women are separated from men by a special screen (as in the photo above) so that nobody is distracted in their prayers.

There are no pictures of Allah, Mohammed or any humans in a mosque. However, there are beautiful symmetrical designs in ceramic tiles and written extracts from the Koran decorated as arabesques.