Assalam alaikum, Built as a tribute to the French Muslims who died with the French Army in World War I, the mosque was completed in 1926 in a classical Moorish (Islamic Spain) style. Built with concrete, mosaics, wood carvings and iron brought from Morocco, it has a wonderful theme to it. Located just 5 minutes walk from the famous Notre dame, the mosque occupies a near central position for which we can thank the Parisian municipality for their donation of the land.
Having visited Paris many times, I was shocked to learn of its proximity to the main tourist attractions, disappointed with myself for not having visited sooner. Thankfully my timing couldn't have been better as not only did I bump into a TV crew filming a short piece for France 2, one of the state TV channels, but I also met a man named Abdou, all the way from Morocco whose task was to repair the damaged mosaics at the mosque - and if you see the photos and video below, you can appreciate his wonderful talent! The following pictures and video clips relate my encounter on Saturday morning. Photo of Mosaic tiles flickr.com/photos/swamibu/300730940/ Photo of the second courtyard flickr.com/photos/swamibu/300376533/ Video walk through of the mosque youtube.com/watch?v=4h1E78nLhVg Video with Abdou the tile maker youtube.com/watch?v=3QcB0cAbb4A Why can't other mosques in Western Europe have an equal amount of style and panache? Trust the French do bring class! In the protection of Allah, with peace, f
