Taipei Grand Mosque
Encyclopedia
The Taipei Grand Mosque is the largest and most famous mosque
in Taiwan
with a total area of 2,747 square meters. Located in the Daan district
of Taipei City
, it is Taiwan's most important Islam
ic structure and was registered as a historic landmark
on June 26, 1999 by the Taipei City Government.
and Minister of Foreign Affairs George Yeh (葉公超) proposed the construction of an Islamic-style
mosque which was designed by the famous architect Yang Chuo-cheng (楊卓成) who also designed the National Theater (國家戲劇院) http://www.3dpapermodel.com.tw/report/show.asp?num=177&page=2. The mosque was constructed by the Continental Engineering Corporation
(大陸工程公司) and completed on April 13, 1960. The cost of the construction was covered by the Chinese Muslim Association with funding of $150,000 from the Shah of Iran
and King of Jordan and $100,000 loaned by the Kuomintang
government. It is the largest mosque in Taiwan with a total area of 2,747 square meters and an expansive prayer hall with a height and width of 15 meters. Facilities include a reception hall, prayer hall, offices, a library, ablution hall
. Muslims both foreign and local gather at the mosque on Fridays between 1:00-3:00 PM. Jumu'ah
(Friday Prayer) is held between 12:30-1:40 PM. The Imam
at the mosque is Ma Shiao-chi (馬孝棋) http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/04/22/2003251443.
The mosque has strong ties to Saudi Arabia
which continues to provide financial support to the mosque. Visiting Saudi Imams come to preach at the mosque during Ramadan
. In 1971 the mosque was visited by King Faisal
.
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...
in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
with a total area of 2,747 square meters. Located in the Daan district
Daan
Da'an District is an important educational, commercial, residential, and cultural district of Taipei City, Republic of China . The name of the district means "great safety" or "great peace".- History :...
of Taipei City
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, it is Taiwan's most important Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic structure and was registered as a historic landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
on June 26, 1999 by the Taipei City Government.
History
In the latter part of the 1950s, Director General of the Chinese Muslim Association Bai ChongxiBai Chongxi
Bai Chongxi , , also spelled Pai Chung-hsi, was a Chinese general in the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and a prominent Chinese Nationalist Muslim leader. He was of Hui ethnicity and of the Muslim faith...
and Minister of Foreign Affairs George Yeh (葉公超) proposed the construction of an Islamic-style
Islamic architecture
Islamic 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....
mosque which was designed by the famous architect Yang Chuo-cheng (楊卓成) who also designed the National Theater (國家戲劇院) http://www.3dpapermodel.com.tw/report/show.asp?num=177&page=2. The mosque was constructed by the Continental Engineering Corporation
Continental Engineering Corporation
Continental Engineering Corporation is a large Taiwanese Construction Company. It was founded in Sichuan, China in 1945 during the second world war period. On account of the Chinese as well as American Air Force, it accomplished many public engineering projects as well as military engineering...
(大陸工程公司) and completed on April 13, 1960. The cost of the construction was covered by the Chinese Muslim Association with funding of $150,000 from the Shah of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and King of Jordan and $100,000 loaned by the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
government. It is the largest mosque in Taiwan with a total area of 2,747 square meters and an expansive prayer hall with a height and width of 15 meters. Facilities include a reception hall, prayer hall, offices, a library, ablution hall
Wudu
Wuḍhu is the Islamic procedure for washing parts of the body using water often in preparation for formal prayers...
. Muslims both foreign and local gather at the mosque on Fridays between 1:00-3:00 PM. Jumu'ah
Jumu'ah
Jumu'ah is a congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday, just after noon in lieu of dhuhr...
(Friday Prayer) is held between 12:30-1:40 PM. The Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
at the mosque is Ma Shiao-chi (馬孝棋) http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/04/22/2003251443.
The mosque has strong ties to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
which continues to provide financial support to the mosque. Visiting Saudi Imams come to preach at the mosque during Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
. In 1971 the mosque was visited by King Faisal
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975. As king, he is credited with rescuing the country's finances and implementing a policy of modernization and reform, while his main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamic Nationalism, anti-Communism, and pro-Palestinian...
.
See also
- Islam in TaiwanIslam in TaiwanIslam in Taiwan is a slowly growing religion with an estimated 100 converts annually. There are about 45,000 registered Muslims in Taiwan, as of 2007. There are 88,500 Indonesian Muslims working in Taiwan...
- Religion in TaiwanReligion in TaiwanA wide diversity of religions can be found on Taiwan, due to its multicultural history, and religious freedom written in the constitution of the Republic of China.-History:...
- Longgang Mosque