Muslim Community in Haifa

Ramadan

Local times of imsak and ifţar

The conference is expected to coincide with the first week of Ramadan 1432 AH. The exact local times of Ramadan's daily daylight fast are announced in the Israeli Arabic-speaking media. Since the time of imsak roughly corresponds to the start of "astronomical twilights" and the time of ifţar to sunset, this table (the second and the last columns) can be used for making an approximation.

Adjusting dinner times to ifţar

If you fast, please inform the organisers, so they would be able to arrange a decent ifţar for you instead of lunch. The festive dinners are planned to begin around sunset, so you could join them and eat with the rest of the participants, or at worst, join them within a few minutes.

Attending Prayers

Istiqlal Mosque in the lower city of Haifa

Al-Jarīna Mosque, a.k.a. "The Big Mosque"

The mosques in Haifa are located in the lower (older) neighborhoods, some 8-10 km from the venue, which is at the top of Mt. Carmel. It is possible to arrange a prayer hall for Muslims at the venue. Please contact the organizers if you wish to use such a solution. Another option is to take the Carmelit underground train, which connects the lower and upper neighborhoods. There is a Carmelit stop at a short walking distance from the venue. The two major mosques of Haifa are located near the Paris Square station of the Carmelit.

Mosques in Haifa

There are two active mosques in the lower city of Haifa –

Istiqlal Mosque, the biggest mosque in the area, was built in 1926. It is located at the crossing between Kibbutz Galuyot St. (formerly Iraq St.) and Pal-Yam Blvd. The late Egyptian president Anwar A-Sadat paid a visit to this mosque and prayed in it during his visit to Haifa in 1979. The Mosque is open during the local times of prayer. It closes its gates during the late morning hours, to be reopened ahead of midday prayer. During Ramadan it is kept open during the evening until around 22:00 to allow community members to perform the prayer of Tarāwīĥ.
Al-Jarīna Mosque, a.k.a. Al-Masjid Al-Kabīr ("The Big Mosque") was built in the late 18th century, during the Ottoman era, and expanded at the beginning of the 20th century. It is located in what used to be the city center during the first decades of the 1900s.
Another mosque, known as Al-Masjid Aṣ-Ṣaghīr ("The Small Mosque") is currently inactive and locked, as the two aforementioned mosques satisfy the present needs of the local Muslim community. This 18th-century mosque is preserved by the local Muslim society, and has great importance due to its historical and architectural legacy.