The Influence of Built Environment on Travel Behavior of People to Jummat Masjid (Friday Mosque) and Their Travel Mode Choice From Houses in Ancient City of Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Authors

  • Abdulkadir Muhammed Yahaya
  • Salahudeen Hajarat
  • Sani Abubakar Sadiq
  • Rakiya K. Idris

Abstract

Town planning is the organization of the use of land for safety, economy, convenience and aesthetics. One of the institutions that are important in Nigeria is religion. Islam is one of the two major religions in the country and it calls its adherents to make journey to prayer each week. Zaria is a City in Kaduna State and has more than 20 Jummat Masjids (Friday Mosques). This study seeks to investigate the relationship between urban form and travel mode choice for people going to the Masjid in Zaria City. Two Masjids, Emir of Zazzau’s Jummat Masjid at Kofar Fada and Abdullahi Bn Mas’ud Jummat Masjid (Zaria Islamic Centre Jummat Masjid) at Kwarbai were purposively sampled and assessed. 300 Questionnaires were used to acquire worshipper’s preference in choosing the Masjid, mode of transportation to the Masjid, reasons for choosing the mode of transportation to the masjid and the probability of them walking to the Masjid. The findings revealed that 36% of the respondents walk to Emirs Palace Jummat Masjid and 23% walk to Abdullahi bn Mas’ud Jummat Masjid. The result further revealed that 44% of the respondents attend Emirs Palace Jummat Masjid because they follow Dhariqa sect, 62% attend Abdullahi Bn Mas’ud Jummat Masjid because they follow Izala sect. 29% of the respondents come to Emirs Palace Jummat Masjid because they can trade before and after prayers. In contrast, an insignificant 2% responded at Abdullahi bn Mas’ud that come to the Masjid and trade. It was recommended that people choice to Masjid should be part of town planning at least in areas that have large number of Muslims in Nigeria.

Key words: Jummat Masjid, Emirs Palace, Abdullahi bn Mas’ud

Downloads

Published

2019-07-31

Issue

Section

Articles