ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the religion of Islam and the architecture of mosques, and looks at Islam in the Sahel cities of Sousse and Kairouan. One of the icons of Islam commonly used in the west is the call to prayer sung by a muezzin from a minaret. Many of the themes of Christianity are held in common with Islam. There is a striking similarity between the first surah of the Koran and the Lord's prayer in Christianity. Every year in the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar, muslims fast from dawn until sunset, abstaining from food, drink and sexual relations. Muslims are expected to undertake the pilgrimage to Mecca—the Hajj—once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially able to perform it. The verses of the Koran are learned and recited by muslims throughout the world in Arabic irrespective of the local, vernacular language of the believer.
