History

The mosque of the Islamic Society of Gold Coast was built in 1996. It was designed by a non-Muslim Australian architect named Keith Henry. The mosque was designed as a result of a collaborative design process which engaged with the mosque’s founding community. ¹ The mosque is central in facilitating the activities of about 9,000 Muslims who live in the Gold Coast from 60 different cultural backgrounds. ² The mosque is situated on a large lot among a large precinct that accommodates a range of Christian and non-religious communities. ¹

Urban and Architectural

The mosque of the Islamic Society of Gold Coast is topped with a green distinctive dome. The dome is 7.8 meters in diameter topped with a crescent moon, mimicking the visual attributes of the Masjid al Nabawi in Medina, which is located at the burial site of the prophet Mohammad. ¹

The mosque is a two-story building, rendered in white and surrounded with a columnated archways at the front and the rear of the building. The male prayer hall is 269 square metres in area with a mezzanine level. A separate adjoining room caters for female worshippers. ¹

The mosque’s plan can be divided into two sections. The first encompasses the prayer areas, topped with dome and surrounded by four minarets at its corners. The second is a longer element with the same width, topped with a green gabled roof containing the ancillary spaces of the mosque. ¹

In the internal spaces of the mosque,  a chandelier hangs from the middle of the dome. The prayer hall contains a double-height arched Miharab directing the worshippers towards the Qibla.  ¹

Description

A new community centre has been constructed between 2016 and 2020 to cater for the Muslim population and the wider community . The new centre contains a canteen, auditorium, cultural centre, fitness centre, dawah centre, multi-purpose sports stadium, a venue for events such as weddings. ²

References

1.            Harris J. Tradition, Identity and Adaptation: Mosque Architecture in South-East Queensland. In: Brown A, Leach A, editors. Proceedings of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand 30, Open [Internet]. Gold Coast: SAHANZ; 2013. Available from: https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/bitstream/handle/10072/61182/94965_1.pdf

2.            About the Gold Coast Masjid [Internet]. Gold Coast Masjid. [cited 2020 Nov 23]. Available from: http://goldcoastmasjid.org.au/

Images Credit:

Gold Coast Islamic Society - GC Mosquet, published in:

Gold Coast Islamic Society - GC Mosque [Internet]. Facebook. [cited 2020 Nov 23]. Available from: https://www.facebook.com/gcmosque/photos/?ref=page_internal