Scenes like this are commonplace here in Saudi Arabia. The entrance to a mosque at prayer time always has shoes littering the floor outside mosque doorway. At larger mosques there can be hundreds of pairs of shoes scattered outside like this at prayer time, despite the fact that there are usually plenty of cubbyholes for shoes that are rarely used. I don't know why.
No one wears shoes inside a mosque. All mosques are carpeted with a pattern that has markings for individuals to pray in their own space. The carpet also indicates the direction toward Mecca, as Muslims pray facing Mecca.
I saw the same when we visited Morocco. Interesting!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if anyone ever goes home with the wrong shoes?
ReplyDeleteYou just reminded me that I saw a young man outside in the cold here in Toronto. He had laid his prayer mat outside Union Station and the Scotiabank Arena to say his prayers. I wondered how he knew exactly which way to face as we were hidden behind a bunch of skyscrapers. I knew it was facing east but wondered if the direction had to be more precise.
ReplyDeleteStrange times. We are in lockdown so churches/mosques are closed. Office towers that normally have prayer/silent rooms are closed.