This is a masjid — a mosque. It is where Muslims pray five times a day. On Heritage Day it is open to you, and there is nothing you need to know in advance.

If you are coming to a mosque for the first time, this page is all the preparation you need. You can read it in two minutes, or print it and bring it with you.

A Few Practical Things

Shoes come off at the edge of the carpet. There are racks.

Dress — long trousers or a long skirt, shoulders covered. Women are asked to cover their hair; if you did not bring a scarf, there are spares at the door and you are welcome to one.

You will not be asked to pray, to recite anything, or to take part in any act of worship. If prayer happens while you are there, you are asked only to watch quietly.

Photographs — please ask first. Every mosque sets its own rule.

Questions — ask them. All of them. The blunt ones especially. The people there would far rather answer a hard question than have you leave still wondering.

What You Are Looking At

The mihrab — the alcove in one wall. It marks the direction of Makkah, which Muslims face when they pray.

The minbar — the raised steps beside it. The imam speaks from there on Fridays.

No images, no statues, no furniture. Muslims do not depict God or the prophets, and the floor is left open so that people can stand in straight rows, shoulder to shoulder, regardless of who they are.

The washing area. Muslims wash — face, arms, head, feet — before praying. It is called wudhu, and someone will show you.

The minaret. The call to prayer, the athaan, is announced from it five times a day. It says, in Arabic: God is greatest; there is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God; come to prayer; come to success.

After Today

The doors do not close again tomorrow. If you would like to come back, bring a class, or just ask something you thought of on the way home, every mosque on our list will welcome a visit on an ordinary day. You do not need an occasion.

And if you have already been, please tell us how it went. It takes two minutes, no name is needed, and it is what tells us whether the day is doing what we hope it does.

National Mosque Open Day is organised by the South African Muslim Network. info@samnet.co.za · +27 31 207 4223