Which religion has the most beautiful buildings?

[Bast]

Neue Synagoge, Berlin

 

[knigh+]

Its main dome is very pretty

 

[Stacmon]

As far as Mosques go, here is a less-famous favorite:

That is a great one .

I also love the Synagogue . I wish I had a chance to visit it when I was in Berlin.

 

[Warman17]

Heres some Jewish lovin'

Spoiler :

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[Stacmon]

The first and last are my favourite. You can really see the Islamic influence on Jewish architecture .

 

[useless]

i hate minarets. the hagia sophia would look MUCH better without them and the islamic stuff they decided to ruin it with

 

[silver 2039]

I find Islamic architecture to be most pleasing. I have a fetish for minarets....

 

[Stacmon]

i hate minarets. the hagia sophia would look MUCH better without them and the islamic stuff they decided to ruin it with

Have you been following the discussion? It's not that they ruined it with minarets, they saved it with minarets. Would you have really preferred it to collapse?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

No, they added minarets instead of less obtrusive and ideologically charged support structures . . .

 

[silver 2039]

Minarets look better and the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque after the conquest of Constantinople. Thus it of course made sense to add minarets.

 

[BassDude726]

The Hagia Sophia is the most beautiful building in the world, hands-down.

 

[mrtn]

No, they added minarets instead of less obtrusive and ideologically charged support structures . . .

In other words, two birds with one stone.

 

[Stacmon]

The Hagia Sophia is the most beautiful building in the world, hands-down.

Well, I wouldn't go that far.

But I agree it's quite nice .

Here is my current favourite, the Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I really wish I could find a higher resolution picture of it.

 

[Phlegmak]

But all joking aside, it's forbidden in Islam to demolish/destroy/convert other religious buildings unilaterally.

It's amazing how much people don't follow their own religious laws.

I guess all those Hindu temples and Christian churches were converted to mosques with the permission of the previous owners?

 

[Stacmon]

It's amazing how much people don't follow their own religious laws.

I guess all those Hindu temples and Christian churches were converted to mosques with the permission of the previous owners?

You answered your second sarcastic comment with the first.

Even though some Muslims didn't respect the religious buildings of other groups, it is more the exception rather than the rule. There are many examples of Muslim leaders living up to these ideals, particularly that of Salah-al-din.

When it comes to Hindu temples however, that area is somewhat grayer, since the religion is polytheistic and involves many idols.

Nevertheless, if you consider the Mughal Empire, which controlled about 80% of India and existed for hundreds of years, you'll note that the vast majority of the Indian population remains Hindu (ie: they were allowed to practice their religion and were not forcibly converted).

 

[cegman]

Uggh it was such a hard decision between Christian Cathedrals and Mosques but I know more about cathedrals and have fallen in love with a bunch.

 

[Azkonus]

An Interior picture of SultanAhmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), Istanbul, Turkey.
Check out the guys standing up on the bottom left in order to understand the volume.

And, below is Sinan's Selimiye Mosque, Edirne, Turkey

Peaceful, isn't it?

 

[Till]

Lots of beautiful religious buildings all around!
Here are some more:

Frauenkirche, Dresden:

Parthenon, Athens:

Abu Simbel, Egypt:

Monastery, Petra:

 

[Rossiya]

Look at this then: it's beautiful. Just perfect.

Spoiler :

 

[Stacmon]

Look at this then: it's beautiful. Just perfect.

Idolatry!

But to be honest, that statue has become completely iconic and is quickly recognized when seen.