Jummah Mosque (Mauritius)
The Jummah Mosque formerly “Mosque of the Arabs”, is a mosque in Port Louis, Mauritius dating from the 1850s. The Jummah Mosque houses the remains of Jamal Shah (a pir from Kutch, India) in a marble tomb next to the mosque. A house was temporarily used as a place of worship, while the mosque was being constructed. In 1853, a small mosque was built and consecrated. The new mosque, which could accommodate some 200 worshippers, was the original Jummah Mosque. The growing Muslim population in Port-Louis was in need of a larger mosque and so between 1857 and 1877, seven different lots around the mosque, amounting to 0.30 hectares, were successively bought by Muslim merchants for Rs 134,260 and donated to the mosque.
The expansion works began in 1878 and were overseen by Jackaria Jan Mahomed. Artisans, led by Ishaq Mistry, and building materials were shipped from India, but disease among the workers and shortage of construction supplies delayed the completion until 1895. The mosque’s architecture is a blend of Moorish and Mughal influences. The old former Mosque of the Arabs was incorporated as the main prayer hall in the expanded building, illuminated by glass chandeliers. An Indian almond or badamia tree stands in the middle of the mosque’s courtyard.
- Jummah Mosque (Mauritius)
- Location: Port Louis
- Country: Mauritius
- Donate: 134,260 Rs
