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All day

Grand Tour of Washington (AM)

Islamic Tours of Washington (PM)

By

ZOHERY TOURS

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202-554-4200

http://www.zohery.com/islamic-tours-of-washington/

$59.00 Eight Hours Combination of:

Grand Tour of Washington (AM) $25.00

Departure: 9.00 AM from Hyatt Regency Hotel

400 New Jersey Ave NW Washington DC 20001

Lunch: Halal Food $9.00

Islamic Tours of Washington (PM) $25.00

Every Sunday

departure: 2.00 PM from Kabab  Palace Restaurant located at 23333 South Eads Street Arlington VA 22202 (Crystal City) Zohery Tours is offering for the first time a Washington DC Tour combo, that comprises the famous Grand Tour of Washington, its popular day tour of the nation’s capital and featuring an exclusive Halal food lunch to satisfy your distinctive palates while you’re relaxing from the morning tour.

The tour will resume with the Islamic Tour of Washington DC, starting at 2pm from the Kabob Palace in Crystal City, Arlington, VA. During the tour you’ll get the chance to visit 2 out of the leading mosques in Washington DC Metro Area. This Islamic Tours of Washington DC is conducted every Sunday, you will visit:

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1.    The Islamic center of Washington. Located at 2551 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20008

2.    Turkish mosque Located at 9704 Good Luck Road, Lanham, Maryland 20706

The tour will be narrated by an Islamic Scholar and during stopover at the masjids  mentioned above, you will get the chance to visit the premises and meet with some officials from the place. this will include a lecture recounting the genesis and history of the creation of the particular masjid and its significance to the Muslim community in Washington DC area.

If you are a Muslim, come and meet other Muslims in the Washington Metro area. If you are non Muslim, come and learn about Islam and the role of the Mosques in Islam from the Muslims themselves not from the media. This tour is conducted by an Islamic scholar. This portion of the tour is about the religion of Islam and will include visit to two major Mosques in Washington Metro Area.  

At the end of the tour, you will be dropped off at Metro Center Station where most of the lines are there..

Grand Tour of WashingtonAdult or Child $25.00 

Tour overview

The Grand Tour of Washington is the premier comprehensive DC Tour that takes you to all the monuments, museums and memorials in Washington DC. It has been designed as a comprehensive day tour package for those of you who want to get the full picture. You get treated to 4 hours of live narrated tour with an experienced and knowledgeable tour guide who will take you to a journey through history with stops to the landmarks that tell the story of this Capital city, this great nation.

We were among the early companies to offer sightseeing tours in DC and still we are the best at it. Zohery Tours, with over 25 years experience helping tourists rediscover the city, will make sure that it’s not an ordinary bus trip to the places to visit in DC. Rather, it will be an educational tour, in which you witness history unfold under your very eyes. Instead of just telling you that this is the Capitol Building, you will learn of its creation, the events that led up to its creation as well as the key players behind the story.

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The Washington Monument standing 555 ft tall in the National Mall overlooking the panorama will reveal the secret to its story associated with the long history of this nation. Also, your dream will be fulfilled to visit the most prestigious address in the nation: the White House on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Beyond seeing it in all its majesty behind forbidding gates, it will be an open book for you to browse through the lives of its occupants, past and present, and all the twists and plots that solidified its imprint on American history.

There are many cultural landmarks that are part of this bus tour of Washington DC. Some of the most important places you will visit include the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King Memorial, to name a few…

Don’t forget to bring your camera along because we’ll take you close to many stops where you can snap pictures. The Grand Tour of Washington is the ultimate tour great memories are made of. Come aboard and be a part of history.

Tour information

Departure Time: 9AM from Hyatt Regency Hotel- 400 New Jersey Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20001(3 blocks from Union Station Metro) – Approx. 3 – 4 hours. Ask us about hotel pickup and return availability and time from your Hotel.

View Tour details

Union stationU.S. CapitolSenate Office BuildingHolocaust MuseumWashington MonumentTidal BasinCherry Blossoms TreesPatrick Henry MemorialWatergateArlington National CemeteryGeorgetownOld Executive Office BuildingBlair HouseWhite HouseTreasury DepartmentEllipseNational Christmas TreeZero Mile StoneGeneral Sherman MemorialFreedom PlazaGeneral Pershing Memorial

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Federal TriangleGeneral Pulaski MemorialFord’s TheaterDepartment of CommerceNational ArchivesOld Post Office, The PavilionNavy MemorialEvening Star Building

FBITrade CommissionU.S. Federal CourtSenators OfficesReserve Officers AssociationSupreme CourtMethodist BuildingLibrary of CongressRepresentatives OfficesU.S. Botanic GardenGarfield MemorialU.S. Grant MemorialU.S. Capitol Reflecting PoolFederal MallSmithsonian MuseumsAir and Space MuseumNatural History & American History MuseumsState DepartmentAlbert Einstein MemorialBureau of Engraving and PrintingKennedy Center for Performing ArtsDepartment of InteriorFederal ReserveOrganization of American StatesDaughters of American Revolution OrganizationHeadquarter of American Red CrossStep off and visit

·         White House (outside South Front for pictures)·         Jefferson Memorial·         Franklin Roosevelt Memorial·         Martin Luther King Memorial·         Lincoln Memorial (The same stop includes visiting Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and the Nurses Memorial)·         Iwo Jima Memorial

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Islamic Tours of Washington (PM)

Adult or Child $25.00

Lunch: Halal Food $9.00

 Departure: 2.00 PM from Kabab  Palace Restaurant Crystal City Arlington VA

If you are a Muslim, come and meet other Muslims in the Washington Metro area.

If you are non Muslim, come and learn about Islam and the role of the Mosques in

Islam from the Muslims themselves not from the media. This tour is conducted by

an Islamic scholar. This portion of the tour is about the religion of Islam and will

include visit to two major Mosques in Washington Metro Area.  

1. Islamic Center of Washington DC

http://theislamiccenter.com/

History

In November 1944, the idea for building a Mosque in Washington DC was born through a discussion between Mr. M. Abu Al Hawa and the former Ambassador of Egypt, Mr. Mahmood Hassan Pasha.Soon thereafter, a handful of diplomats and American Muslims formed the Washington Mosque Foundation. The Foundation’s membership quickly grew to include representatives from every Islamic nation in the world and American citizens. They all supported the Foundation’s appeal for funds. They managed to raise enough money that enabled them to purchase the land that the Center sits on now on Washington’s “Embassy Row”. They purchased the land on April 30, 1946, and laid the cornerstone on January 11, 1949.

Prof. Mario Rossi, a noted Italian architect who built several mosques in Egypt designed the building. Egypt donated a magnificent bronze chandelier and sent the specialists who wrote the Qur’anic verses adorning the mosque’s walls and ceiling. The tiles came from Turkey along with the experts to install them. The Persian

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rugs came from Iran, which are still in the mosque of the Center.Finally, with its completion, the Islamic Center’s dedication ceremony took place on June 28, 1957. Former United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke for the American representatives. In his address, he praised the Islamic world’s “traditions of learning and rich culture” which have “for centuries contributed to the building of civilization.” He affirmed America’s founding principle of religious freedom and stated that: “America would fight with her whole strength for your right to have here your own church and worship according to your own conscience. This concept is indeed a part of America, and without that concept we would be something else than what we are.”Eisenhower concluded: “As I stand beneath these graceful arches, surrounded on every side by friends from far and near, I am convinced that our common goals are both right and promising. Faithful to the demands of justice and of brotherhood, each working according to the lights of his own conscience, our world must advance along the paths of peace.” ( these facts are copied from the center web site) 2. Turkish Mosquehttp://diyanetamerica.org/Turkish American Community Center - Lanham, MD ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwKftqVK4TA http://diyanetamerica.org/our-campuses/mosque/#Vision

The Diyanet Centre of America’s vision is to create a highly esteemed organization that leads in advocating for the religious, moral and spiritual values of the Muslim society in America, and to make a contribution to peace and tranquility for all mankind, and to be a prestigious mediator on Islamic issues.Mission

The Diyanet Centre of America’s mission is to enlighten society about religion with factual and updated knowledge based on essential Islamic sources and to provide guidance to society about faith, worship and moral principles and to improve relations on the basis of justice,  peace, tolerance and mutual understanding.Our core principlesDiyanet Center of America

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1.       committed to providing religious services without regard to politics2.       relies on true knowledge based on the Qur’an and the authentic traditions of the Prophet and takes into consideration various religious interpretations, tendencies and traditions and evaluates them in the light of mainstream understanding and rational approach.3.       aims to preserve all of the differences in belief and culture in an atmosphere of freedom and mutual respect.4.       committed to protecting the Muslims’ religious and cultural roots.5.       supports freedom of religion and freedom of expression.6.       advocates dialogue between faith communities both in America and the world.7.       seeks the preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of other religions based on Islam’s exalted historical tolerance.8.       condemns all types of violence and terror and considers them to be crimes against humanity regardless of who the perpetuator and victim may be.9.       supports equal and complementary rights and responsibilities for men and women.

 THE MOSQUE

The Mosque in Islamic Civilization

The mosque has an important place in Islamic civilization and in the development of its architecture. Mosque architecture began in Islam with the Masjid al-Nabi in Medina. While retaining its basis and spirit as established by the Prophet, it has evolved over history. The Masjid al-Nabi, which was founded by the Prophet and gave direction to mosque architecture in Islam, was at the same time the first madrasa (school of Islamic law) for Muslims. From the beginning, there were places in the mosque or masjid, that is, places of the Ashab al-Suffa (People of the Portico), where all Muslims were taught that Islam could not coexist with ignorance and that the enlightenment of society derived from knowledge and wisdom. In Islamic civilization, the mosque or masjid was bayt Allah, meaning “the house of God.” This point of view expressed the importance of mosques and masjids and the sanctity that was attributed to these places. This concept ensured that the most beautiful and largest buildings in Muslim lands throughout history would be mosques. They were built in the center of the city and the settlement plan of the city was arranged according to the placement of the mosque. The most recent innovations discovered in art and architecture were reflected in mosques; and each mosque became an example of this tradition which flourished over the generations. Mosques, which developed architecturally and aesthetically and were

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made beautiful in each era, occupied a special place in the intellectual and ethical life of society as centers where knowledge, especially religious and spiritual knowledge, was taught and learned. The principles and concepts which breathed life into Islamic civilization were taught and learned here. Spirituality and the spirituality of places of worship have created and developed civilization. The deeply rooted and noble civilization that arose from the mosques always called upon humanity to be brothers in creation in a common religion; and whereever it spread tranquility, peace, and brotherhood prevailed.The Mosque as the Heart of the CenterArchitectural Features

Because the American Religious Center is a mosque-centered project, the building at the very heart of the Center is the mosque. The mosque was built in the style of sixteenth-century Ottoman architecture. The most important feature of sixteenth-century Ottoman architecture is its combination of aesthetics and functionality. Ottoman architecture had an important style which brought together art, aesthetics, and functionality in the construction of places for daily life. The most significant feature of mosque architecture in that period was to ensure unity in space by using the central dome system. Much larger and centralized spaces were created by using a system of construction that employed a central dome supported by adjoining half-domes and small domes.

In the Mosque of the American Religious Center, in the space enlarged by the use of a half-dome on the qibla-side (the side facing Mecca) of the central dome and five small domes on each of the other three sides, a unity is created and a large and open place is provided. The weight of the dome is born and transferred equally by placing it on four “elephant feet” (pillars)  in conformity with traditional Ottoman architecture. The large and small domes are supported by arches, again in conformity with traditional architecture. Four marble colums carry the weight of the four elephant feet in addition to that of the small domes at the sides. Each of these columns was brought from the Turkish provinces of Istanbul, Eskişehir, Afyonkarahisar, and Tokat, which are famous for marble. Thanks to this, it is possible for 760 people to worship at the same time in the covered area. The mosque also has a spacious courtyard. The sides of the courtyard are each covered with five small domes creating a space that is half covered. The mosque has two minarets each of which has two galleries. It has the distinction of being the only mosque in American with two minarets. In the covered area and courtyard together it is posible for 3,000 people to worship at the same time.In the interior decoration and ornamentation, traditional motifs are used, but original features are also exhibited. In order to add richness to the decorated

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spaces, above all where there is Arabic calligraphy, inside the mosque, the technique of gold leaf has been used. The mihrab (prayer niche) and the walls on each side of it are covered with tile. Taking into consideration the fact that decoration has certain functions in addition to philosophical thought, the Arabic inscriptions have been made so that one can read them in the depth of the domes and they reinforce the architecture. While the inscriptions call forth the relationship of multiplicity and unity, mukarnases(“stalectite” decoration) are used for the transition to different geometric shapes, such as from quadrilateral to multilateral. Decoration, in which emphasis is given to the duality of the traditional and modern and to the art of calligraphy—which is considered to be non-figurative and “abstract imagery”—and “physical and moral architecture,” which reaches resolution in  pure Turkish Islamic architecture in the concept of “simplified architecture,” are united.The mosque, which is the most important structure in the project, covers an area of 1,879 square meters. Below the mosque is the Museum of Islamic Monuments in an area of 300 square meters. In addition there is a covered auto park with a capacity for 500 vehicles for visitors. The mosque is built of steel reinforced concrete on a foundation of piled compartments and is strengthened against earthquakes. High quality building materials, like stone and marble, have been set in place with steel-fitting machinery and no mortar was used. The interior acoustics of the mosque have been assured by the “empty spaces in the domes,” a method which has been used for thousands of years. ( these facts are copied from the center web site)