‘Mosque with Bilal calling prayers’

Lanterns depicting mosques were a very early lantern form first mentioned in a newspaper report in 1896. Traditionally they were covered entirely with intricately cut paperwork designs and this lantern, built by Mandela Youth Organisation, clearly demonstrates this technique. The figure at the front depicts Bilal who was a loyal companion to the Prophet Muhammad and was the first person of known African ancestry to become a Muslim. A former slave he is said to have been the first muezzin.