White minaret
Slender and tall.
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A mosque and Islamic cultural centre on Embassy Row, Massachusetts Avenue, in Washington, near the bridge over Rock Creek. When it opened in 1957 it was the largest mosque in the Western Hemisphere. The project was driven by the Egyptian ambassador Kamil Abdul Rahim, who brought together the heads of the diplomatic missions of Muslim countries and travelled to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other countries to raise funds, with diplomats and American Muslims taking part in building it. Egypt donated a bronze chandelier and sent calligraphers who wrote Qur'anic verses on the walls and ceiling, decorated tiles came from Turkey with craftsmen to lay them, and rugs came from Iran, so the mosque, with its slender white minaret and arcaded facade, is a jewel of Islamic architecture in the heart of the capital. The mosque is open for prayer and entry is free, in modest dress covering arms and legs, with a headscarf for women and shoes off. If you are coming to see the architecture, avoid Friday prayer times.
Slender and tall.
Richly patterned.
On the walls.
2551 Massachusetts Avenue, Embassy Row, Washington
In 1957, when it was the largest mosque in the Western Hemisphere.
