Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim Mosque
History
This mosque has been made to serve the Muslim community of
Gibraltar, which is mostly made up of Moroccans who have immigrated. The
majority of Moroccans arrived in Gibraltar after Franco closed the frontier in
1969, taking posts in public services that managed construction, property and
service operations around the naval dockyard. Some established a number of
interesting retail outlets which still sell Moroccan groceries and or
handicrafts. Nowadays the Muslim population form part of Gibraltar’s diverse
community. Gibraltar was also of course vastly influenced by the Moors,
who at one time held control of the Rock, and their contributions to the city
cannot be undermined.
Description
The Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, also known as the King Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Saud Mosque or the Mosque of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is a mosque located at Europa Point in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, a peninsula connected to southern Spain. Hailed as a great gift, the most southerly mosque in Europe and being one of the largest Mosques in a non-Muslim country, Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, was in fact a gift to Gibraltar and its people, from the late King Fahd Al-Saud. The mosque faces south towards the Strait of Gibraltar and Morocco several kilometers away.
The building took two years to build at a cost of around £5 million. It was officially inaugurated on 8 August 1997. Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque sits atop a flat ground on Europa Point, and to the side of it a large underwater cistern that purportedly dates back to the Muslim Moors reign over Gibraltar. The mosque is a beautiful addition to this unique site. When lit up at night it stands out dramatically and is visible from miles away. It is the only purpose-built mosque in Gibraltar to serve the Muslims in the territory who number over 1,000: around 4% of Gibraltar's total population.
From the outside the complex appears to be simple in nature, however the actual design of mosque is quite complex. Its ground floor of 985 square meters, is comprised of six classrooms, a conference hall, a library, a kitchen, toilets, housing for the caretaker, its own morgue, some offices for administration purposes, and lastly the Imam´s house.
Above the ground floor, the main prayer hall is found. Its decoration is nothing short of breath taking, with its ceiling comprising of nine solid brass chandeliers, all manufactured in Egypt. Eight of them hang in various parts of the prayer hall, with the ninth, weighing in at two tons, showing off its beauty right below the dome in the center of the hall. The 480 meter squared prayer hall is covered by an enormous single piece woven carpet, along with imported Italian marble, covering all the halls supporting columns and its main altar, the Kabila. A six meter high brass crescent boasts the top of the mosques minaret, which reaches 71 meters from ground floor to the top. All the amazingly designed brass lamps, also come from Egypt, all following the same design style as the chandeliers, the enormous dome, and the ceiling of the prayer hall.
A women’s prayer hall is located on a mezzanine level floor, along with a nursery, that both overlook the main prayer hall. A large Masharabia screen separates the view between the two prayer halls. As with the brass structures mentioned before, all the wooden doors, which are made of thick solid teak and adorned with brass, so too come from Egypt. The fully air-conditioned Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque is used regularly by Muslims of Gibraltar for offering prayer and is open to visitors during the day.
References
http://www.visitgibraltar.gi/see-and-do/religious-interest/ibrahim-al-ibrahim-mosque-104
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim_Mosque
https://gibraltar.com/en/travel/see-and-do/europa-point/ibrahim-al-ibrahim-mosque.php
https://www.beautifulmosque.com/Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim-Mosque-Gibraltar
Details
Location
Gibraltar, Spain
Owners
King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Year of Build
1997
Area
985 sqm
Drawings
Map
History
This mosque has been made to serve the Muslim community of
Gibraltar, which is mostly made up of Moroccans who have immigrated. The
majority of Moroccans arrived in Gibraltar after Franco closed the frontier in
1969, taking posts in public services that managed construction, property and
service operations around the naval dockyard. Some established a number of
interesting retail outlets which still sell Moroccan groceries and or
handicrafts. Nowadays the Muslim population form part of Gibraltar’s diverse
community. Gibraltar was also of course vastly influenced by the Moors,
who at one time held control of the Rock, and their contributions to the city
cannot be undermined.
Description
The Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, also known as the King Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Saud Mosque or the Mosque of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is a mosque located at Europa Point in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, a peninsula connected to southern Spain. Hailed as a great gift, the most southerly mosque in Europe and being one of the largest Mosques in a non-Muslim country, Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, was in fact a gift to Gibraltar and its people, from the late King Fahd Al-Saud. The mosque faces south towards the Strait of Gibraltar and Morocco several kilometers away.
The building took two years to build at a cost of around £5 million. It was officially inaugurated on 8 August 1997. Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque sits atop a flat ground on Europa Point, and to the side of it a large underwater cistern that purportedly dates back to the Muslim Moors reign over Gibraltar. The mosque is a beautiful addition to this unique site. When lit up at night it stands out dramatically and is visible from miles away. It is the only purpose-built mosque in Gibraltar to serve the Muslims in the territory who number over 1,000: around 4% of Gibraltar's total population.
From the outside the complex appears to be simple in nature, however the actual design of mosque is quite complex. Its ground floor of 985 square meters, is comprised of six classrooms, a conference hall, a library, a kitchen, toilets, housing for the caretaker, its own morgue, some offices for administration purposes, and lastly the Imam´s house.
Above the ground floor, the main prayer hall is found. Its decoration is nothing short of breath taking, with its ceiling comprising of nine solid brass chandeliers, all manufactured in Egypt. Eight of them hang in various parts of the prayer hall, with the ninth, weighing in at two tons, showing off its beauty right below the dome in the center of the hall. The 480 meter squared prayer hall is covered by an enormous single piece woven carpet, along with imported Italian marble, covering all the halls supporting columns and its main altar, the Kabila. A six meter high brass crescent boasts the top of the mosques minaret, which reaches 71 meters from ground floor to the top. All the amazingly designed brass lamps, also come from Egypt, all following the same design style as the chandeliers, the enormous dome, and the ceiling of the prayer hall.
A women’s prayer hall is located on a mezzanine level floor, along with a nursery, that both overlook the main prayer hall. A large Masharabia screen separates the view between the two prayer halls. As with the brass structures mentioned before, all the wooden doors, which are made of thick solid teak and adorned with brass, so too come from Egypt. The fully air-conditioned Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque is used regularly by Muslims of Gibraltar for offering prayer and is open to visitors during the day.