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_Strasbourg Mosque (Grande Mosque of Strasbourg)

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The Strasbourg Mosque or Great Mosque of Strasbourg (French: Grande Mosquée de Strasbourg) is a large purpose-built Islamic mosque in the French city of Strasbourg. It is located on the banks of the Ill river in the Heyritz area, south of the Grande Île. It was inaugurated in September 2012 and has a capacity of 1,200 people.

The mosque is frequented by Muslims of North Africa, mainly Moroccan origin. It hosts many conferences and seminars and has an extensive teaching programme for school-aged children. The former mosque, in use from 1982 to 2012, consisted of a converted foie gras factory in the Impasse de mai in the centre of Strasbourg, near the law-courts.[2] It was not the first mosque to be established in Strasbourg. There have been mosques in the city since 1967 and there are now over twenty.

The mosque was designed by Paolo Portoghesi, who also designed the Mosque of Rome. The design competition included a futuristic proposal by Zaha Hadid. Construction was delayed several times, due to litigation with the main constructors and a decision by the centre-right municipal council of Fabienne Keller to prevent overseas funding. The first stone of the new mosque was laid on 29 October 2004 by the then Mayor of Strasbourg Fabienne Keller. She also revised the original building project, removing the planned study centre, auditorium and minaret and reducing the capacity of the prayer room by 50%.

The designer said “The location is splendid There’s a canal, a river and trees. Inserting the building into this plot is fascinating. And of course, water is so symbolic. In my design I tried to filter the past to the present, so that it is respected and is an element of identity.” Thoughtful nods to the local architecture are found in the copper used on the dome, echoing copper-clad structures in the old city, and the material used for the walls, the beautiful regional stone (grès des vosges). The interior has a soft, diffused light, coming from windows hidden behind intricate calligraphy. One of the groundbreaking elements of the building is the unified open space with no supporting columns, due to the system of cables attached to the outside pillars, inspired from the technology used in suspended bridges. Saïd Aalla, President of the Grande Mosquée de Strasbourg in 2011, said that it reminded him of a “flower opening next to the water, with the pillars holding up the dome resembling giant petals”.

Mosque Data

Architect

Paolo Portoghesi

Type

Jumaa

Country

France

Owner/Founder

Year

2012

Area

2,000 m2

Interactive Map

Mosque Data

Architect

Paolo Portoghesi

Type

Jumaa

Country

France

Owner/
Founder

Year

2012

Area

2,000 m2

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