It
is the third mosque in Croatia and the first in the city. The mosque is the result of decades-old
aspirations of Muslims in Rijeka to have an adequate religious space.

This
is a building of high international artistic relevance designed by the famous
late sculptor Dušan Džamonja, in collaboration with architects Darko Vlahović
and Branko Vučinović. The sculptor created a
miniature model of the mosque, reflecting his well-known abstract sculptures.
Later, the architects have undertaken the task to implement this conceptual
idea in order to achieve the superior aesthetics of the project. The successful
‘playing’ with basic geometric shapes led to the fact that the building is
considered more as a functional sculpture, intended for culture and religion,
rather than the usual architectural building.

Located on a
10,800 m2 site placed on a large plateau, the Centre was conceived as a large
sculpture on a wide base, and has become a landmark of Croatia’s busiest port
and one of the most beautiful religious buildings in Europe. A spiritual rather
than a formal Islamic expression was intended, so traditional decor was
avoided, showing the flexibility and willingness of a traditional Islamic
community to establish itself as part of modern society. The construction of the Mosque was mainly
sponsored by the state of Qatar.