Ibn Batuta Mall, Dubai, UAE

Ibn Battuta Mall is the world’s largest themed shopping mall. It spreads over 1.3km length divided into 6 courts (sections) representing different themes .

There is only one proper prayer room in this mall, which is large enough to be called a small masjid (mosque). The prayer room located in India Court which is situated around 1km from the far end of the mall (Andalusia Court) and 300m from the near end (China Court). It's nearby the Mall Management Office and you have to take elevator or stairs to 1st floor to find it.


I believe the prayer room can take more than 100 persons. There is even a regular imaam or prayer leader in this place. Unfortunately this place does not host Friday prayer. So mall visitors and employees have to go to mosques few kilometers outside the mall.


There's a special place for ablution (wudu) which is separated from toilet area on the way to the prayer room. There are special racks to place your footwear too.

Because the location of this prayer room is too far from the other end of the mall (Andalusia court) and there's no other prayer room in this huge mall, the employees who work around Andalusia, Tunisia and Egypt court prefer to do their prayer on the corner like this. I have seen some visitors also perform their prayer on the same place.

Pictures taken on 1st December 2008.

Building 1, Dubai Internet City, Dubai, UAE

Dubai Internet City (DIC) and the neighbouring Media City and Knowledge Village are one of the most advanced Free Trade Zone complex in UAE and a workplace for more than 12,000 people.


The prayer-room above is located in the 2nd floor of Building 1 which is obviously one of the oldest buildings here but it is very well maintained. The prayer-room is built on the underuntilized corridor and divided into Male and Female section separated by wooden partition. The male section can fit around 20 people and female section capacity probably only half of it. There's a digital wall clock with built-in prayer schedule that calculated according to Dubai time. It will automatically announce the azan each time the time for prayer comes. There are some Quran books available for reading too.

Unfortunately the building management have not provide special wash room for taking the ablution/wudu so prayers have to do the wudu on the nearby toilet. It is challenging to wash your feet on the washing basin while keeping the body balance on the slippery floor. I believe if the management can afford to build special toilet for disables (whom we never seen using it so far), they should be able to afford providing proper ablution place for prayers too. The prayer room is always full of people right after azan announced.

All pictures taken in November 2008.