The Grand Mosque of Paris..a 100-year-old jewel of Andalusian-Moroccan art in France

Paris -

In the elegant Fifth Arrondissement, in the heart of the bustling Latin Quarter with student activity, the minaret of the Grand Mosque of Paris can be seen, which holds a special place in the hearts of French Muslims and is a spacious place for worshiping God Almighty throughout.

Upon entering the wooden door decorated with ancient Islamic art, visitors of all nationalities and religions discover the grandeur of a religious beacon for Muslims in the heart of the French capital.

The decoration of the Great Mosque of Paris was designed and executed by Moroccan artisans and inspired by the Qarawiyyin Mosque in Fez (Al-Jazirah)

Tribute to Muslim Soldiers

The Great Mosque is the first and oldest mosque in Paris. Its construction began after the First World War, in gratitude and honor to the Muslim soldiers who died for France.

The idea of ​​building an Islamic edifice in the capital dates back to the middle of the 19th century when the French government decided to take over the project in December 1916, so that the first stone of the mosque was officially laid on October 19, 1922, in the presence of prominent French and Islamic figures.

The Grand Mosque of Paris is located in the elegant Fifth Arrondissement, in the heart of the bustling Latin Quarter with student activity (Al-Jazeera)

It is reported that the Islamic Habous and Holy Places Association, which was established in February 1917 to organize the pilgrimage trip for North African Muslims, agreed to carry out the work of the Great Mosque in Paris and its management to this day.

In turn, the House of Representatives, at its session held in June 1920, voted unanimously on the government bill “to establish an Islamic institute in Paris,” following the report prepared by Edward Heriot, then deputy mayor of Lyon, which stated that “more than 100,000 must be honoured.” From our parishes and followers in the service of a common homeland from now on. To all these Muslims, whatever their origin, Paris will welcome the Islamic Institute, its devout mosque, and reading in the Arabic library."

The corners of the mosque are similar to the ancient Andalusian monuments of the Alhambra in Granada (the island)

A jewel of Moroccan Andalusian art

The mosque's architectural style is as diverse as the Muslim community in France;

Its minaret, which is 33 meters high, is almost an exact copy of the minaret of the Zitouna Mosque in Tunisia.

As for the decoration of the building, it was designed and executed by Moroccan craftsmen who were inspired by every detail of the Qarawiyyin Mosque located in Fez, Morocco, especially in the tiles and mosaics that cover the walls of the mosque, as well as the large hand-carved dome, the luxurious chandelier, the red carpet and the Kufic letters reproduced from the Holy Qur’an.

The minaret of the Great Mosque of Paris reaches a height of 33 meters, and is almost an exact copy of the minaret of the Zitouna Mosque in Tunisia (Al-Jazeera)

The rest of the pillars of this religious edifice are similar to the ancient Andalusian monuments that characterize the Alhambra in Granada, especially with regard to the carved columns and the beautiful emerald tiles.

In addition to the architecture, which expresses the skill of the ancestors and combines the traditional and contemporary character of Islamic art, the mosque has a charming shaded courtyard decorated with trees, with an area of ​​3,500 square meters, with water fountains in the middle.

The Grand Mosque of Paris includes a shaded courtyard decorated with trees, with an area of ​​3,500 square meters, with water fountains in the middle (Al-Jazeera)

Twentieth Century Heritage

The mosque and the Islamic Center were included in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments by virtue of the decree issued on December 9, 1983, and the edifice was preserved under the title “The Heritage of the Twentieth Century.”

Visitors to the mosque can tour its corridors and enjoy the beauty of its details, whether they are Muslims or not, everyone is welcome here and everyone receives the same treatment and attention from the workers present to answer all inquiries.

The mosque also has secondary annexes for rest and relaxation, such as a library, a hammam for women, a restaurant, and a tea room that serves oriental sweets and mint tea.

Since its opening in 1926, the Grand Mosque of Paris has become an important beacon that reflects the religious life of Muslims in France (the island)

Since its opening in 1926, under the supervision of Kaddour Benghabrit, the Great Mosque of Paris has become an important beacon that reflects the religious life of Muslims in the country.

During the German occupation of the French capital between 1940 and 1944, the Great Mosque turned into an underground outlet to house North African resistance fighters who had managed to escape from German concentration camps.

The 2011 French film Les Hommes Libres, directed by Ismael Ferroukhi, also sheds light on conflicting historical evidence about the wartime story of the Great Mosque and the rescue of Jewish families and children from raids and arrests.

Pascal Le Bautermatt, who served as a historical advisor to Fruukhi's film, asserts that "oral history indicates that the mosque did protect Jewish civilians" and secured their access via the Beaver, a small Parisian river.

He added that the director and founder of the Islamic Institute of the Mosque of Paris, Kaddour Benghabrit, played a key role in this "humanitarian work" that expresses "the understanding of Jews and Muslims in the Mediterranean."

The biography of the famous Algerian-Jewish singer Salim Hilali, whose real name is Simon, also indicates that he was rescued from the concentration camps in 1940 thanks to the intervention of Ben Ghabrit, who issued him a certificate proving his conversion to Islam.

The film dealt with his story in a scene performed by actor Mahmoud Shalaby while he was singing in the courtyard of the mosque.

Promoting Islam in France

The Great Mosque of Paris has been operating as an umbrella organization for a federation of several hundred mosques throughout France led by the president of the Association of Habous and Islamic Holy Places and the dean of the mosque, Shams El Din Hafez, for more than two years.

In the 1970s, the mosque was at the center of the renewal of Islamic studies in Europe through a combination of trade union and editorial initiatives.

The former dean of the mosque, Hamza Boubacar at the time, in cooperation with Muhammad Hamid Allah, contributed to translating the meanings of the Noble Qur’an into French.

The Ghazali Institute, a religious institute for training imams and Muslim clerics, was established in 1993, and one year later, former Home Secretary Charles Pasqua gave the mosque the authority to certify halal meat.

Today, the Grand Mosque of Paris still maintains its religious status as a historical edifice that rises with its Islamic thought and openness to other religions within French society despite all the circumstances and challenges.