Located within the Msheireb Heritage Quarter—one of the most historic parts of inner Doha—the Jumaa Mosque stands close to the original coastline, anchoring a site long associated with religious and political life. Its design seeks to fuse Modernism with the familiar spatial traditions of Islamic architecture, creating a sanctuary that resonates deeply with Qatari heritage while embracing contemporary ideas.

The mosque’s architecture evolved from the traditional Qatari mosque, guided by the principles of simplicity, functionality, spirituality, and clarity. The building forms a perfect white stone cube, with crisp lines and clean surfaces. Local stone, regional limestone cladding, and Qatari stone accent banding are used throughout, reflecting an authentic material palette. Metal Islamic patterned gates enclose the entrance pavilion, courtyard, and support spaces, including accommodation for the Imam and Muazzen.

The layout follows a classical Islamic precedent, based on a double square, with an emphasis on perfect geometric proportions. A colonnade of stone wraps the courtyard on two sides, framing a perfect square at the heart of the complex. At the center of the courtyard, a pond and rhyll (water channel) evoke calmness and spiritual reflection, reinforcing the mosque’s contemplative atmosphere.

A key design challenge was ensuring that the entrances and interior spaces were accessible separately for men and women, following Islamic custom. The prayer hall itself is a column-free space, adaptable for community educational uses if needed. It features a perforated, patterned roof that allows natural dappled light to flood the hall during the day, eliminating the need for artificial lighting and enhancing the sense of serenity.

The mosque’s minaret is circular in section, tapering gracefully toward the top—a feat of craftsmanship, as each course of stone had to be uniquely cut to achieve the diminishing radius.

Sustainability is at the core of the project. Designed to LEED Gold standards, the mosque incorporates both passive and active strategies, including orientation for natural ventilation, shading with deep reveals, patterned screens to reduce solar gain, photovoltaics, solar hot water heaters, and connection to the district cooling network. These features, along with the use of local craft techniques and interpretive traditional details, ensure that the mosque is both environmentally responsible and culturally rooted.