WORSHIPPERS at a Mosque have been praying in the wrong direction for decades and the Imam has only just realised.
It was FOUR DECADES before new Mosque Imam realised the error, according to reports in Turkish media.
The mosque in Sugoren, in western Turkey, had a key flaw in its construction that meant Muslims worshippers who are forced to kneel in the direction of Mecca during prayers – had misaligned themselves by as much as 33 degrees, the Daily Sabah reported.
The DNA news agency said imam Isa Kaya was appointed last year and that, following rumours about the alignment of a niche in the mosque’s wall indicating the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, he decided to ask the advice of local muftis.
The officials confirmed the niche, or mihrab, had been constructed in the wrong place when the mosque was built in 1981.
Rather than tear down the niche immediately, Mr Kaya used a temporary measure to point people in the right direction – placing arrows made of white tape on the mosque’s carpet.
“We have explained the situation to our congregation and most of them have reacted positively to our solution,” the imam told Demiroren News Agency.
An architect will be given the task of redesigning the structure.
