Paris1972-Versailles2003

Many have said, France is the melting pot of Europe and for good reason, We have welcome the world over the years and especially around the bigger metro areas, there is a vibrant population of folks of other lands ,making the vibrant lively beautiful City that is Paris, I found me again, pictures in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, let me tell on the Grande Mosquée de Paris !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The Grande Mosquée de Paris is built in the Hispano-Moresque style. It is located in the Jardin-des-Plantes quartier or neighborhood of the 5éme arrondissement or district of Paris. Inaugurated on July 15, 1926, it is the oldest mosque in metropolitan France used for worship. The Paris Mosque is accessible by metro line 7 at the Place Monge (Jardin des Plantes) and Censier – Daubenton stations, as well as by several RATP bus lines such as nos 47, 67, and 89.

The construction of the Grande Mosquée de Paris was inspired by the Al Quaraouiyine University of Fez, one of the most important mosques in Morocco and one of the oldest in the world, the Great Mosque of Paris is a mosque of Hispano-Moorish architecture inspired by the Almohad art movement, a dynasty that ruled the Maghreb ,and Al-Andalus (Andalucia) between the mid-12C and 13C. The minaret is inspired by the Zitouna Mosque in Tunisia, itself in the Almohad style. Most sources give it a height of 33 meters. The great door of the Mosque is decorated with stylized floral motifs in the purest Islamic style. The mosque, on a plot of 7,500 m2, includes: a prayer room; a madrassa (school); a library; a conference room; gardens with a total area of ​​3,500 m2; annexes: restaurant, tea room, hammam and shops. The Mosque can accommodate 1,000 people and has ablution rooms as well as disabled access. The mosque is open to paid tourist visits every day of the year (except Fridays, days of prayer), except for the rooms for sermons by the imams, reading of the Koran, prayer and meditation reserved for practitioners of Islam. The mosque also includes a traditional restaurant Aux Portes de l’Orient with cuisine from the Maghreb countries, a tea room, a hammam, shops selling traditional Arab objects, It is open to the general public all year round. On December 12, 2011, construction work on a removable roof covering the large patio facing the prayer hall of the Great Mosque was launched during an official ceremony. This important achievement, eagerly awaited for many years by all the mosque’s worshippers to protect themselves from the elements, marks a turning point in its design in 1922–1926.

A bit of history I like tell us that the Great Mosque of Paris is linked to colonization. It was conceived at the time as a gesture to commemorate the death of native soldiers during the Great War or WWI. At the request of the Ottoman embassy in Paris, welcomed by Napoleon III who wished to thank the Ottoman Empire for its participation in the Crimean War, A prefectural decree of November 29, 1856 demarcated a Muslim square in the 85th division of the Père-Lachaise cemetery. A building was erected there to accommodate the mortuary toilet and prayers for the deceased. Although it cannot be described as a mosque in terms of Islamic liturgy, this building is often considered to be the first mosque built in Paris. The Muslim square of Père-Lachaise initially housed the graves of Ottomans who had died in France, but it was little used due to the low Muslim presence in mainland France, so much so that it was reduced in size in 1883. During the Great War or WWI, a mosque was built in the Bois de Vincennes near a military hospital at the initiative of the diplomat Pierre de Margerie, director of political affairs at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Built of wood, it was inaugurated on April 14, 1916 by Gaston Doumergue, then Minister of the Colonies. The decision to build a mosque in Paris came to fruition in the aftermath of the Great War or WWI ; it was to pay tribute to the tens of thousands of Muslim dead who fought for France. The mosque was financed by the French State through the law of August 19, 1920. The first stone of the mosque was laid on October 19, 1922 in the presence of Marshal Lyautey, Resident General of the French Protectorate in Morocco from 1912 to 1916, and representatives of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, India, Persia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and the Caucasus. The Great Mosque was built on the site of the former Pitié Hospital, which had been destroyed in 1912, the land for which was donated by the Paris City Council near the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. The mosque was inaugurated on July 16, 1926.

During WWII and the occupation of France by Nazi Germany, the Great Mosque served as a place of resistance for Muslims living in France. Built on cellars, the mosque provided a discreet way to reach the Bièvre River. It was said saved hundreds of jews of Paris as well, In 1993, the Al-Ghazali Institute was founded, a religious education institute dedicated to training Muslim imams and chaplains. In July 2022, it launched its literary prize, which will reward the best novel and the best essay of the year on the civilization of Islam.

The official Grande Mosquée de Paris: https://www.grandemosqueedeparis.fr/presentation

The Paris tourist office on the Grande Mosquée de Paris: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/grande-mosquee-de-paris-p3522

The Île de France region tourist office on the Grande Mosquée de Paris: https://www.visitparisregion.com/en/great-mosque-of-paris

There you go folks, indeed this is an educational wonderful spot to visit , another monument in my eternal Paris of many lands. Most folks do not realise Paris is a melting pot of nations and creeds as well as cuisines, Do enjoy it fully as we do. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Grande Mosquée de Paris !!! as I.

And remember , happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!