London Central Mosque
Encyclopedia
The London Central Mosque (also known as the Islamic Cultural Centre, ICC or Regent's Park Mosque) is a mosque in North London
, England
. It was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd
, completed in 1978, and has a prominent golden dome
. The main hall can hold over five thousand worshippers, with women
praying on a balcony overlooking the hall. The mosque holds a chandelier and a vast carpet, with very little furniture.
The inside of the dome is decorated with broken shapes in the Islamic tradition. There is also a small book shop and halal
café on the premises. The Mosque is joined to the Islamic cultural centre which was officially opened by King George VI in 1944 and was given as an unconditional gift to the UK Muslim community, although the land was donated by George VI in return for a site in Cairo for an Anglican cathedral.
, a convert to Islam.
1937 This project (Nizamia Mosque, later changed to present name) was funded by the Nizam
of Hyderabad and the foundation stone of the mosque
was laid on Friday, June 4th 1937, by HH
Prince Azam Jah
eldest son of Mir Osman Ali Khan the last ruler of Hyderabad State.
1939 - 1940
Lord Lloyd of Dolobran, (1879–1941), Secretary Of State For The Colonies, & former President of the British Council, works with a Mosque Committee, comprising various prominent Muslims and Ambassadors in London. Lord Lloyd sends a memo to the Prime Minister, in which he points out, inter-alia “only London contains more Moslems than any other European capital but in our empire which actually contains more Moslems than Christians it was anomalous and inappropriate that there should be no central place of worship for Mussulmans”.
1940
The British Government is persuaded to present a site for a mosque in London for the Muslim community of Great Britain. On 24 October the Churchill War Cabinet authorizes allocation of £100,000 for acquisition of a mosque site in London (WAR CABINET: 276 (40). National Archives - See also Report WP (G)(40) 268 of 18 October 1940). The intent was to enable Muslims in Britain to build a mosque and an Islamic Cultural Centre, so they could conduct affairs pertaining to their faith. The gift was also intended as a tribute to the thousands of Indian Muslim soldiers who died defending the British Empire.
1944
A Mosque Committee comprising various prominent Muslim diplomats and Muslim residents in the United Kingdom accepted the gift and The Islamic Cultural Centre which includes the London Central Mosque, was established and officially opened in November by His Majesty King George VI.
1947
The Mosque Committee registered the London Central Mosque Trust Limited as a Trust Corporation in September. At the time, seven representatives from six Muslim countries acted as Trustees.
1954 - 1967
Several designs were considered for the mosque. There were long protracted planning application to various authorities but the necessary planning approval was not granted.
1969
An Open International Competition was held for the design of the building. Over one hundred designs were submitted, from both Muslim and non-Muslim applicants. The design finally selected was by the English architect Frederick Gibberd
. His design of The Main Mosque Building Complex can be divided into two elements: A main building consisting of the two prayer halls and three-story wings including an entrance hall, library, reading room, administration offices and the minaret;
£2 Million of funding was donated for the construction of the ICC by His Majesty King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
. Further donation was provided by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ruler of Abu Dhabi
and President of the United Arab Emirates
.
1974
Construction work began early this year with the Main Mosque Building Complex, comprising Men's and Ladies' Main Prayer Halls, Library, Administrative Block and Residential Quarters.
1977
Work was completed in July for the total cost of £6.5 million. The first Director of the Islamic Centre was Raja of Mahmudabad. A special fund paid for a new Educational & Administrative wing which was completed in 1994. This was donated by Saudi King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz
.
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd
Frederick Gibberd
Sir Frederick Ernest Gibberd was an English architect and landscape designer.Gibberd was born in Coventry, the eldest of the five children of a local tailor, and was educated at the city's King Henry VIII School...
, completed in 1978, and has a prominent golden dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
. The main hall can hold over five thousand worshippers, with women
Women in Islam
The study of women in Islam investigates the role of women within the religion of Islam. The complex relationship between women and Islam is defined by Islamic texts, the history and culture of the Muslim world...
praying on a balcony overlooking the hall. The mosque holds a chandelier and a vast carpet, with very little furniture.
The inside of the dome is decorated with broken shapes in the Islamic tradition. There is also a small book shop and halal
Halal
Halal is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
café on the premises. The Mosque is joined to the Islamic cultural centre which was officially opened by King George VI in 1944 and was given as an unconditional gift to the UK Muslim community, although the land was donated by George VI in return for a site in Cairo for an Anglican cathedral.
History
1900 - 1931 Several efforts were made to build a mosque in London, including one, initiated by Lord HeadleyRowland Allanson-Winn, 5th Baron Headley
thumb|Lord Headley with [[Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din]]Rowland George Allanson Allanson-Winn, 5th Baron Headley , also known as Shaikh Rahmatullah al-Farooq, was an Irish peer and a prominent convert to Islam, who was also one of the leading members of the Woking Muslim Mission alongside Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din...
, a convert to Islam.
1937 This project (Nizamia Mosque, later changed to present name) was funded by the Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
of Hyderabad and the foundation stone of the mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
was laid on Friday, June 4th 1937, by HH
HH
- Medicine :* hh antigen system, a rare blood group* Hh, a signalling molecule in Drosophila named for the Hedgehog signaling pathway* Hodgkin–Huxley model- Science and Technology :* Hahnium, a disputed abbreviation for the chemical element name...
Prince Azam Jah
Azam Jah
Azam Jah, Damat Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Sir Mir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur Bey Effendi was the eldest son of the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan Asif Jah VII; In 1936 he was given the courtesy title of Prince of Berar, a territory of the Nizam then leased in perpetuity to...
eldest son of Mir Osman Ali Khan the last ruler of Hyderabad State.
1939 - 1940
Lord Lloyd of Dolobran, (1879–1941), Secretary Of State For The Colonies, & former President of the British Council, works with a Mosque Committee, comprising various prominent Muslims and Ambassadors in London. Lord Lloyd sends a memo to the Prime Minister, in which he points out, inter-alia “only London contains more Moslems than any other European capital but in our empire which actually contains more Moslems than Christians it was anomalous and inappropriate that there should be no central place of worship for Mussulmans”.
1940
The British Government is persuaded to present a site for a mosque in London for the Muslim community of Great Britain. On 24 October the Churchill War Cabinet authorizes allocation of £100,000 for acquisition of a mosque site in London (WAR CABINET: 276 (40). National Archives - See also Report WP (G)(40) 268 of 18 October 1940). The intent was to enable Muslims in Britain to build a mosque and an Islamic Cultural Centre, so they could conduct affairs pertaining to their faith. The gift was also intended as a tribute to the thousands of Indian Muslim soldiers who died defending the British Empire.
1944
A Mosque Committee comprising various prominent Muslim diplomats and Muslim residents in the United Kingdom accepted the gift and The Islamic Cultural Centre which includes the London Central Mosque, was established and officially opened in November by His Majesty King George VI.
1947
The Mosque Committee registered the London Central Mosque Trust Limited as a Trust Corporation in September. At the time, seven representatives from six Muslim countries acted as Trustees.
1954 - 1967
Several designs were considered for the mosque. There were long protracted planning application to various authorities but the necessary planning approval was not granted.
1969
An Open International Competition was held for the design of the building. Over one hundred designs were submitted, from both Muslim and non-Muslim applicants. The design finally selected was by the English architect Frederick Gibberd
Frederick Gibberd
Sir Frederick Ernest Gibberd was an English architect and landscape designer.Gibberd was born in Coventry, the eldest of the five children of a local tailor, and was educated at the city's King Henry VIII School...
. His design of The Main Mosque Building Complex can be divided into two elements: A main building consisting of the two prayer halls and three-story wings including an entrance hall, library, reading room, administration offices and the minaret;
£2 Million of funding was donated for the construction of the ICC by His Majesty King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Fahd of Saudi Arabia
Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, was King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005...
. Further donation was provided by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ruler of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
and President of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
1974
Construction work began early this year with the Main Mosque Building Complex, comprising Men's and Ladies' Main Prayer Halls, Library, Administrative Block and Residential Quarters.
1977
Work was completed in July for the total cost of £6.5 million. The first Director of the Islamic Centre was Raja of Mahmudabad. A special fund paid for a new Educational & Administrative wing which was completed in 1994. This was donated by Saudi King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz
Fahd of Saudi Arabia
Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, was King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005...
.
See also
- Islamic Cultural CentreIslamic Cultural CentreThe Islamic Cultural Centre is a centre for Muslims located in London, England, opened in 1944. It is part of the London Central Mosque, having been annexed...
- North London Central Mosque
- Central Mosque WembleyCentral Mosque WembleyThe Central Mosque Wembley is situated in the inner London Borough of Brent. It is located on Ealing Road, London. It serves the fifth UK’s largest community who are predominantly Asian. The mosque is in the heart of Wembley. Wembley Central Mosque is the main mosque in North West London...
- Timeline of Islamic history
- Islamic architectureIslamic architectureIslamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
- Islamic artIslamic artIslamic art encompasses the visual arts produced from the 7th century onwards by people who lived within the territory that was inhabited by or ruled by culturally Islamic populations...
- List of mosques
- Undercover MosqueUndercover MosqueUndercover Mosque is a documentary programme produced by the independent television company hardcash productions for the Channel 4 series Dispatches which first aired on 15 January 2007 in the UK. The film caused a furore in Britain and the world press due to the content of the released footage...