Diyanet Center of America (DCA) is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

funded by the Turkish government that is based in

Lanham, Maryland Lanham is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland. As of the 2020 United States Census it had a population of 11,282. The New Carrollton station (the terminus of the Washington Metro's Orange Li ...

, serving the needs of the

Muslim community ' (; ar, أمة ) is an Arabic word meaning "community". It is distinguished from ' ( ), which means a nation with common ancestry or geography. Thus, it can be said to be a supra-national community with a common history. It is a synonym for ' ...

in the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgin ...

. The center holds regular Friday congregational prayers, Ramadan dinners, religious holiday celebrations – including

Mawlid Mawlid, Mawlid an-Nabi ash-Sharif or Eid Milad un Nabi ( ar, المولد النبوي, translit=mawlid an-nabawī, lit=Birth of the Prophet, sometimes simply called in colloquial Arabic , , among other vernacular pronunciations; sometimes , ) ...

– and various other social, cultural, and religious activities. The center benefits from its proximity to the nation's capital, various federal and state institutions, and schools. The complex consists of five main buildings, an

underground parking garage A multistorey car park (British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a build ...

, and a geothermal well field on a 15-acre site. The five buildings are a mosque constructed using 16th century

classical Ottoman architecture Classical Ottoman architecture is a period in Ottoman architecture generally including the 16th and 17th centuries. The period is most strongly associated with the works of Mimar Sinan, who was Chief Court Architect under three sultans between 15 ...

, a cultural center building, a

guest house A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use o ...

, a fellowship hall with a restaurant and shops, and a recreational building housing a

Turkish bath A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited ...

, an indoor pool, and a sports center.

History

The organization was established as the Turkish American Islamic Foundation in 1993, and as the scope of services expanded it was renamed to the Turkish American Community Center (TACC) in 2003. After the completion of a comprehensive construction project, the center was renamed to its assumed business name of Diyanet Center of America, which receives major support from

Directorate of Religious Affairs The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey ( tr, Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, normally referred to simply as the Diyanet) is an official state institution established in 1924 by the orders of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk under article 136 of t ...

(Diyanet), an institution of the

Government of Turkey The Government of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Hükûmeti) is the national government of Turkey. It is governed as a unitary state A unitary state is a sovereign state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the ...

. The result of the construction project is a small village that will be an important cultural hub for all visitors and residents of Washington D.C. area.What Is DCA
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Affiliated mosques

*Murat Mosque, Upper Pittsgrove, NJ *Turkish Islamic Cultural Center of Queens, Sunnyside, NY *Ulu Mosque of Paterson, Paterson, NJ *Springfield Imam Buhari Mosque, Indian Orchard, MA *Eyüp Sultan Mosque,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, NY *Delaware Diyanet Camii, New Castle, DE *Ahıska Turks Community Center of Kentucky,

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, KY *NJ Burlington County Muslim Association,

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

, NJ *Bergen Diyanet Mosque and Cultural Center,

Cliffside Park Cliffside Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 23,594,Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, NY *Long Island Mevlana Mosque,

Port Jefferson Station Port Jefferson Station is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven, in Suffolk County, in New York, United States. The population was 7,838 as of the 2010 census. History The area now known as Port Jefferson Station ...

, NY *Paterson Mevlana Mosque, Paterson, NJ

References

External links

* {{Authority control Community centers in Maryland Mosques in Maryland Religious buildings and structures in Prince George's County, Maryland Lanham, Maryland Islamic organizations based in the United States Turkish organizations and associations in the United States Civic and political organizations of the United States Foundations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Maryland 1993 establishments in Maryland European American culture in Maryland Islam in Maryland Middle Eastern-American culture in Maryland Turkish diaspora in North America Seljuk architecture Architecture in the Ottoman Empire Islamic organizations established in the 1990s

History

Affiliated mosques

See also

References

External links