The Cambridge Central Mosque is Europe's first eco-friendly mosque and the first purpose-built mosque within the city of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, England. Its mandate is to meet the needs of the Muslim community in the UK and beyond by facilitating good practice in faith, community development, social cohesion and

interfaith dialogue Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is ...

. The Cambridge Central Mosque was opened to the public on 24 April 2019.

Background

The Muslim Academic Trust (MAT) proposed the site location to be situated in the Romsey area of Mill Road in Cambridge. Thereafter, the Cambridge Mosque Project was established in 2008 by

Timothy Winter Abdal Hakim Murad (born: Timothy John Winter; 15 May 1960) is an English academic, theologian and Islamic scholar who is a proponent of Islamic neo-traditionalism. His work includes publications on Islamic theology, modernity, and Anglo-Muslim ...

, a lecturer in Islamic studies at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

, to raise funds for the project. After the £4m purchase of a one-acre site in 2009 on Mill Road, Marks Barfield Architects was appointed to design the new mosque in association with Professor Keith Critchlow, a world leading expert in sacred architecture and Islamic geometry, along with the UK's leading Islamic garden designer Emma Clark. Marks Barfield Architects are known for innovative designs, such as the London Eye and Kew Gardens' Treetop Walk, to name a few. Plans for the mosque were submitted to Cambridge City Council by the MAT and it was approved in 2012. However, the project was controversial and it was met with objections. With its emphasis on sustainability and high reliance on green energy, the mosque is Europe's first eco-mosque. In addition to the mosque's dedicated areas (ablution, teaching, children's area, morgue), there is a café, teaching area and meeting rooms for use by the local Muslim and non-Muslim communities. It can accommodate up to 1,000 worshippers. Donors from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas have supported the project, but most of the donations, around two-thirds of the total, came from

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. Construction started in September 2016, was completed in March 2019, and the mosque opened to the public on 24 April 2019. In 2021, the mosque was the subject of a profile on the

Sky Arts Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...

programme ''

The Art of Architecture "The Art of Architecture" is a British factual documentary series broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Arts. It aired a first series in 2019, a second in 2021, and a third in 2022, as well as two specials in 2020. Each of its episodes makes a s ...

''.

Stirling Prize shortlisting

In 2021, Cambridge Central Mosque was among six buildings shortlisted for the

Stirling Prize The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The S ...

. It was the winner of that year's People's Vote.

Gallery

cmglee_Cambridge_Mosque_side.jpg, View from Mill Road cmglee_Cambridge_Mosque_front.jpg, Gate and garden cmglee_Cambridge_Mosque_portico.jpg, Portico cmglee_Cambridge_Mosque_atrium.jpg, Atrium cmglee_Cambridge_Mosque_hall.jpg, Prayer hall cmglee_Cambridge_Mosque_hall_screen.jpg, Prayer hall screen

References

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External links

Cambridge Central MosqueCambridge Islamic Art
- A sister project in aid of Europe's 1st eco-mosque!
Cambridge Muslim College

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