Jinnah Antarctic Research Station, operational since 1991, emerges as likely site of inaugural salah in Antarctica amid Pakistan’s polar scientific missions.
The Jinnah Antarctic Station, Pakistan’s permanent research facility established in 1991, is recognized as the first confirmed location where Islamic prayers (salah) were performed on the Antarctic continent.
Situated in the East Antarctic region, the station has served as a scientific and logistical base for decades.

Operated by Pakistan’s National Institute of Oceanography, the station conducts year-round studies in glaciology, marine biology, and climate science.
Since its inauguration, Muslim members of winter-over teams have maintained prayer routines within designated spaces at the base, despite extreme cold, months-long darkness, and isolation.
While informal worship likely occurred earlier during transient expeditions, documented communal prayers began with the station’s continuous operation.

A small musallah (prayer area) was established inside the main living module, oriented toward Mecca using calculated qibla directions specific to the Antarctic region.
Antarctic Treaty protocols respect all forms of religious observance across research stations. The Government of Pakistan confirmed the station remains active today, with ongoing research and religious accommodation for personnel.
The station is named for Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan.
Pakistan's leading news agency, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), has published an article highlighting the outcomes of the First International Forum of Islamic Civilization, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.
According to the publication, the inaugural International Forum of Islamic Civilization was held in Uzbekistan from July 7 to 11, bringing together distinguished scholars and experts from around the world. At the conclusion of the forum, its participants addressed a joint message to the President of Uzbekistan.
The message emphasizes that the forum, organized at the initiative and with the direct support of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, served not only as a prestigious academic platform but also as a landmark event marking a new stage of global cooperation aimed at preserving the shared spiritual and intellectual heritage of humanity.
The document also notes that holding the forum in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Termez — three of the most prominent centers of Islamic civilization — carried profound symbolic significance. These historic cities are the birthplace and workplace of many eminent scholars and thinkers whose contributions have had a lasting impact on the development of world science and civilization.
“The forum participants recognized President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's initiative to establish the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, first proposed during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, as one of the most significant international humanitarian initiatives of the past decade. They expressed confidence that the Center will evolve into a major international scientific and educational complex, bringing together leading scholars from across the globe”, the Associated Press of Pakistan concluded.