Brussels, Belgium 2023
This is one of the oldest Masjids in Belgium, located in the north east corner of the Cinquantenaire Park. The original building was constructed in 1880 as the Oriental Pavilion of the National Exhibition. But the building was severely damaged in the twentieth century due to the lack of maintenance.
In 1967 a decision was made by the Belgium and Saudi officials to turn the building into a Masjid.
The current building was designed by a Tunisian architect, Boubaker, and a long reconstruction and renovation process was carried out in the 70’s. The final phase of the renovation was completed in 1977/78 and Alhamdu’lillah, the Masjid was opened for the public in 1978.
The main prayer area is on the 3rd floor of the building. There is a large chandelier in the middle and the interior walls are covered with Arabic calligraphy. It has a capacity of close to 1000 worshippers. It also has a school and has a large library and a children's centre.
The Muslim population of Belgium is around 800000, that is 7% of the total population, and half of them live in Brussels. Most Belgian Muslims are first, second, or third generation immigrants that arrived after the 1960s, mainly from Morocco and Turkey. Today, there are around 350 mosques in Belgium, and this is one of the oldest ones.
If you travel to Brussels, you can visit this beautiful park and pray your salah at this Masjid.
Address: Parc du Cinquantenaire 14, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
Phone: +32 2 465 09 91
21 окт 2024
