1 minute read
THE IMPORTANCE OF PURPOSE BUILT
from THE BRITISH MUSLIMS AND THE MOSQUES - An architectural, cultural and theological approach
by abmukadam
Abdullah Quilliam’s plans to gather funds to build a brand new larger purpose-built facility to accommodate a collective of different functions is the same transitional methodology the migrant Muslims communities shadow – migrate to a new geolocation, convert a building into a place of worship, accumulate funds, then expand or build new a facility. Although in most cases, converted mosques and places of worship tend to be adequately functional and serve their purpose (providing a clean place of worship), the desire for a more bespoke and purpose-built mosque is always attached within the communities.
One of the driving motives for a new bespoke purposebuilt place of worship in the form of a mosque tends to be driven by ‘community pride’. Each migrant community desires a momentous landmark building that will represent their established community and also bring a sense of pride and joy in calling the new building ‘our mosque’ – an understandable human inclination of association and affiliation towards a landmark.
Advertisement
Another reason for a purpose-built space is to allow for efficient use of space within the main prayer hall. This is informed by the orientation of the buildings. Most buildings are not naturally orientated towards the Qiblah, which is a compulsory requirement for the Muslim worshippers to face towards the Qiblah during prayer. The prayer mats are adjusted to face the Qiblah direction which tends to generate ‘dead space’, awkward room bearings, and hinder the circulation within the prayer spaces as they are rotated against the axis of the building (fig 20).
Figure 20: Typical orientation in purpose-built and converted mosques.
By the mid 20th century, there were still very few purposebuilt mosques across Britain. Since Shah Jahan Mosque was already built and in use, why did this Woking mosque not become a model for the new purpose-built mosques which were being built towards the mid and latter part of the 20th century? The main reason for the inability to replicate the orientalist Woking mosque were socioeconomics and lack of wealth. Unlike the majority of the mosques in Britain, the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking was funded by the ruler of Bhopal, India. As the Muslim migrants arrived in Britain seeking work to provide for their families back home, financial stability was not common during the early days.
