FARASAN ISLAND — Nearly 300 years ago, the Taboot Mosque was constructed in the south of the Red Sea in the middle of Farasan Island, about 50 km southwest of Jazan, standing as one of the most prominent heritage buildings in the region.

The Island, where the mosque is located, is famous for its pearl trade and has influenced the flourishing and diversification of architecture for its unique location, making it an important passage on the Red Sea.

The most famous imam of the mosque, which is considered as one of the oldest structures on the Island, was Sheikh Nasser Bin Abdullah Al-Rifai.

Before the rehabilitation process, the mosque used to have an old graveyard located within its campus.

It was, however, removed during the renovation in order to increase its capacity to host a bigger number of worshippers in addition to other services such as prayer room for women.

The mosque was built of excavated stones and mud as per the Jazan architecture pattern on a total area amounting to around 532 square meters and accommodated about 106 worshipers.

It consists of a prayer house with a roof made up of three domes of roughly equal size in addition to restrooms, places for ablution for men, and a prayer room for women.

Worshippers can enter the mosque via three entrances located on the western side, the east side, and the southern façade.

It has been rehabilitated as a part of Prince Muhammad Bin Salman Project for Historical Mosques Renovation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under which 30 mosques in 10 regions are to be restored and rehabilitated.

The mosque, after renovation, consists of the main prayer house, a prayer room for women, restrooms, an ablution places for men and women, and a guard room, and can accommodate up to 164 worshipers. — SPA