Mezquita Mayor de Granada — Attraction in Granada

I can hardly put into words what I felt after visiting Granada. From 3 p.m. until 10 p.m., I spent the rest of the day in this holy place after i visited al hambra, and the experience touched me deeply.

First, let me explain:

Everyone is welcome to enter the mosque’s garden, but the prayer hall itself is reserved for Muslims. The garden is beautiful, offering an unforgettable view of the Alhambra—which explains why it is always full. Some people online wrote that the mosque was closed, but that’s not true. It is open for every prayer. The only time it closes is once a day, after Zuhr and before Asr, for about an hour of cleaning. That makes perfect sense, as the place is constantly filled with visitors—new people arriving every few minutes.

In the garden, a very polite man was guiding visitors and answering questions. He explained to us how to make wudu and kindly shared the prayer times. After praying Asr, we visited the small shop near the mosque, where a very friendly worker served us tea and a sweet pastry for only €2.50.

Then came Maghrib, and with it a surprise: the muezzin recited the adhan from the minaret with his natural voice, without any amplifier. From the garden I could barely hear it, yet it pulled me straight toward the mosque. In that moment I felt like a child, imagining how it must have been to hear Bilal in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). That was the atmosphere in which I entered for Maghrib prayer.

There are some prayers in life that give strength, resolve hidden struggles in the heart, and renew faith. This Maghrib prayer was one of those moments—bi-idhnillah. May Allah protect us from riya (showing off in worship). During the prayer, non-Muslim visitors were not allowed into the garden, perhaps to preserve peace and silence.

Muslims once lost the Alhambra. I am not a historian—maybe it was their fault, maybe not. But I do not feel sadness. Granada itself testifies that this was once a Muslim city, its culture shaped by Islam. And seeing this mosque, so modest and humble yet standing directly across from the grandeur of the Alhambra, I felt it might even be more powerful than ten Alhambras. This mosque represents tolerance and openness, welcoming everyone into its garden while inviting Muslims into its prayer hall for worship.

After Maghrib, the imam and his students began reciting Qur’an, page after page. I didn’t want to leave—my heart longed to stay there the whole night—but I had to, because it was late and my children needed to sleep. Otherwise, I might have remained in that blessed atmosphere forever, watching the Alhambra at sunset and softly whispering: “Wa la...

It was a horrible experience. I came in the evening, excited to be at the mosque. I was planning to go inside, stay for a while, and pray. However, the worker there didn’t let me in because I wasn’t wearing a hijab. She said I couldn’t enter like that. I asked her if she could give me something to cover myself, but instead, she started questioning whether I was really Muslim — like some kind of "Muslim test." In her eyes, I wasn’t "Muslim enough." In the country I’m from, the majority of Muslims don’t wear hijab, but we still pray and follow other practices. She began asking me basic Islamic terms in Arabic. I told her I only know them in my own language, not Arabic, and that we call them differently. She accused me of lying about being Muslim. That hurt me deeply. I come from a small city in Spain where we don’t even have a proper mosque. I was so happy to be there, to finally be inside a mosque. I feel peace and warmth in such a place. But because I couldn’t answer her questions the way she expected, she asked me, “Do you even know who Allah is?” How dare she say that to me? I would never lie about my religion. Only Allah can judge me. Maybe I’m not the perfect Muslim, but I try my best. Instead of helping me — offering a scarf or showing me where I could make wudoo — she turned me away and made me feel ashamed. Islam is a beautiful religion, but people like her give it a negative image. I told her, “I want to speak with Allah inside the mosque,” and she said I could do that anywhere — except there. I have every right to be inside. Who does she...

Visited twice while in the city for a few days. The mosque front has arguably the best hill top view of the city and of the alhambra. Great place to bring family to observe the beautiful city. All religions are allowed :)

Because it is at the top of the hill, it is a difficult walk up. Took us 20 min from gran via and I was sweating at the end. If coming with kids or older family members, would be best to rent a taxi.

Also the inside of the mosque (open to muslims only) is very neat, clean and beautifully constructed. Turnout for the congregation prayer was small but we visited during the afternoon prayer hours when the sun is scorching :). It was nice to see the nuances of the worshipper's prayers in different parts of the world.

Definitely a must do if looking to get the historical/religious...