// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Ar-Rahman Mosque goer bring a ladder to Pyongyang? To take faith to a higher level.
| Ar-Rahman Mosque | |
|---|---|
마스지드 알라흐만 | |
  Location of the mosque in North Korea | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Shia Islam |
| Mosque | |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Iranian embassy, Pyongyang |
| Country | North Korea |
| Coordinates | 39°02′10″N 125°47′09″E / 39.03600460123327°N 125.78588954889042°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque architecture |
| Style | Iranian architecture |
| Funded by | Government of Iran |
The Ar-Rahman Mosque (Korean: 마스지드 알라흐만; MR: maseujideu allaheuman; Persian: مسجد الرحمن, romanized: masjid ar-rahman, lit. 'Mosque of the Merciful One') is a mosque in Pyongyang, North Korea. The mosque is situated on the grounds of the Iranian embassy, and is considered the country's first and only mosque.[1]
Overview
[edit]Embassy staff from other Islamic countries in North Korea, including Sunnis, visit the mosque for worship.[2] The mosque hosts Friday prayers attended by Muslim embassy staff from various countries regardless of sect.[3][4][5] The mosque has hosted high-profile guests such as Ali Khamenei, who visited in May 1989. In 2020, staff from multiple embassies in Pyongyang gathered at the Ar-Rahman Mosque to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.[6]
Though other Islamic-majority nations, including Egypt, Palestine and Syria, maintain embassies in North Korea, none of these embassies are known to have mosques on their premises. This lack of mosques in North Korea is attributed to the state's religious policies, and it distinguishes North Korea as one of the only countries with a Shia mosque and no Sunni mosques, along with Armenia (which also has only one mosque, the Blue Mosque in Yerevan).[7]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ 조선일보 (May 15, 2021). ""앗살람 알레이쿰"…평양에도 이슬람 사원 있다". 조선일보 (in Korean). Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ↑ Husarski, Roman (June 14, 2024), "North Korean God(s)", Pursuing Sustainable Urban Development in North Korea (1 ed.), London: Routledge, pp. 34–47, doi:10.4324/9781003372035-5, ISBN 978-1-003-37203-5, retrieved March 5, 2026
- ↑ "The first and the only mosque in North they say its for the staff but there are some rumors that some people goKorea". Muslim Press. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ↑ O'Carroll, Chad (January 22, 2013). "Iran Build's Pyongyang's First Mosque". NK News. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ↑ "Iran Build's Pyongyang's First Mosque | NK News – North Korea News". www.nknews.org. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ↑ O'Carroll, Chad (May 18, 2021). "Inside North Korea's only mosque during Eid al-Fitr". NK News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2026. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Google Earth and the DPRK: Pyongyang Mosque, Kobangsan, and new hospital". North Korean Economy Watch. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.