اللغات

Islamic Cultural Center of Italy Grand Mosque of Rome


History


The idea of an Eternal City mosque — the center of the Roman Catholic Church — is not new. A group of Arab ambassadors put forward a similar proposal to the Italian government more than 40 years ago. But because there was opposition, strong plans could not be produced until the 1970s. In 1973, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was welcomed to Rome in accordance with the new spirit of ecumenism and discovered that previous opposition had evaporated.

The visit of Faisal also helped to fix the economic issues associated with the construction of a big new mosque. Muslim countries and people started donating the approximately $20 million that the mosque will cost after his visit.

There has been fast progress since then. A site, a seven-and - a half acre wooded tract at the foot of Monte Antenne, was given by the Rome City Council.

The sponsoring organization of the project, the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy, held an global contest and endorsed a complicated and innovative design presented by a three-man team of Sami Mousawi, an Iraqi architect working in England, and two Italian architects, Paolo Portoghesi and Vittorio Gigliotti.

Description


Islamic Cultural Center of Italy Grand Mosque of Rome is the largest mosque in the western world ever built, in terms of land area 

It has an area of 30,000 m2 and can accommodate more than 12,000 people.

The building is in the Acqua Acetosa area, at the foot of the Monti Parioli, north of the city.

Being the Western world's biggest mosque,[2] it is the seat of the Italian Islamic Cultural Centre (ItalianCentro Culturale Islamico d'Italia).

In addition to be a meeting place for religious activities, it provides cultural and social services variously connecting Muslims together. It also holds teachings, wedding ceremonies, funeral services, exegesis, exhibitions, conventions, and other essential events.

The mosque was jointly founded by the exiled Prince Muhammad Hasan of Afghanistan and his wife, Princess Razia[3][4] and was financed by Faisal of Saudi Arabia, head of the Saudi royal family, as well as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The project was designed and directed by Paolo Portoghesi, Vittorio Gigliotti and Sami Mousawi.

Its planning took more than ten years: the Roman City Council donated the land in 1974, but the first stone was laid only in 1984, in the presence of then President of the Italian Republic Sandro Pertini, with its inauguration on 21 June 1995.

There was some opposition to the building of a mosque but much of this dissipated when Pope John Paul II gave his blessing for the project. One issue that had to be agreed was the height of the minaret and its effect on the Rome skyline. In the end the issue was resolved by shortening slightly the height of the minaret to be below that of the dome of St Peter’s by approximately one  meter.
(Source: pages 12-13 of the September/October 1978 print edition of Saudi Aramco World).

Details

الموقع

00197 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

عدد المصليين

12000

تاريخ البناء

1994

Area

30000 SQM

الرسومات المعمارية

الخريطة

History

The idea of an Eternal City mosque — the center of the Roman Catholic Church — is not new. A group of Arab ambassadors put forward a similar proposal to the Italian government more than 40 years ago. But because there was opposition, strong plans could not be produced until the 1970s. In 1973, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was welcomed to Rome in accordance with the new spirit of ecumenism and discovered that previous opposition had evaporated.

The visit of Faisal also helped to fix the economic issues associated with the construction of a big new mosque. Muslim countries and people started donating the approximately $20 million that the mosque will cost after his visit.

There has been fast progress since then. A site, a seven-and - a half acre wooded tract at the foot of Monte Antenne, was given by the Rome City Council.

The sponsoring organization of the project, the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy, held an global contest and endorsed a complicated and innovative design presented by a three-man team of Sami Mousawi, an Iraqi architect working in England, and two Italian architects, Paolo Portoghesi and Vittorio Gigliotti.

Description

Islamic Cultural Center of Italy Grand Mosque of Rome is the largest mosque in the western world ever built, in terms of land area 

It has an area of 30,000 m2 and can accommodate more than 12,000 people.

The building is in the Acqua Acetosa area, at the foot of the Monti Parioli, north of the city.

Being the Western world's biggest mosque,[2] it is the seat of the Italian Islamic Cultural Centre (ItalianCentro Culturale Islamico d'Italia).

In addition to be a meeting place for religious activities, it provides cultural and social services variously connecting Muslims together. It also holds teachings, wedding ceremonies, funeral services, exegesis, exhibitions, conventions, and other essential events.

The mosque was jointly founded by the exiled Prince Muhammad Hasan of Afghanistan and his wife, Princess Razia[3][4] and was financed by Faisal of Saudi Arabia, head of the Saudi royal family, as well as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The project was designed and directed by Paolo Portoghesi, Vittorio Gigliotti and Sami Mousawi.

Its planning took more than ten years: the Roman City Council donated the land in 1974, but the first stone was laid only in 1984, in the presence of then President of the Italian Republic Sandro Pertini, with its inauguration on 21 June 1995.

There was some opposition to the building of a mosque but much of this dissipated when Pope John Paul II gave his blessing for the project. One issue that had to be agreed was the height of the minaret and its effect on the Rome skyline. In the end the issue was resolved by shortening slightly the height of the minaret to be below that of the dome of St Peter’s by approximately one  meter.
(Source: pages 12-13 of the September/October 1978 print edition of Saudi Aramco World).