Baitun Nur Mosque

Last updated
Baitun Nur mosque
مسجد بیت النور
Ahmadiyya Mosque 05a.jpg
Religion
Affiliation Islam
Branch/tradition Ahmadiyya
Province Alberta, Canada
Year consecrated 2008
Location
Location4353 54 Avenue NE
Municipality Calgary
Calgary street map.png
Red pog.svg
Location within Calgary
Geographic coordinates 51°06′06″N113°58′19″W / 51.101667°N 113.971944°W / 51.101667; -113.971944
Architecture
Architect(s) Manu Chugh Architects
Type Islamic architecture
Groundbreaking2005
Completed2008
Construction cost C$15 million
Specifications
Dome(s)2
Minaret(s)1
Minaret height97 feet (30 m)
Website
www.baitunnur.org

The Baitun Nur (House of Light [1] ) is a mosque in Calgary, Alberta. [2] [3] It is located in the Castleridge community of Calgary. The cornerstone of the mosque was laid in 2005. [2] Construction was completed in 2008 at an estimated self-funded cost of C$15 million, [1] with roughly C$8 million coming from the approximately 3,000 local Ahmadi Muslims. [3] [4] It is the largest mosque in Canada. [2] [5] [3] [6]

Contents

Inauguration

Prime Minister Stephen Harper (left) seated with Mirza Masroor Ahmad (right) at the grand opening of Baitun Nur Baitan Nur Mosque Inauguration - Stephen Harper.jpg
Prime Minister Stephen Harper (left) seated with Mirza Masroor Ahmad (right) at the grand opening of Baitun Nur

5,000 people attended Baitun Nur's grand opening on July 5, 2008, including dignitaries such as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Opposition Leader Stéphane Dion, and Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier. [2] The Roman Catholic Bishop of Calgary, Fred Henry, also attended. [7] Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the current head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, oversaw the opening. [2]

At the opening, Prime Minister Harper said "Calgarians, Albertans and Canadians will see the moderate, benevolent face of Islam in this mosque and the people who worship here." [2] Afterward, a governing party insider[ who? ] said "It's an important signal the prime minister is sending, not just to militant Islamists abroad, but to their sympathizers here at home, that he's perfectly prepared to ignore them and side with persecuted minorities within the faith." [8]

Architecture

Baitun Nur was designed by Naseer Ahmad and Manu Chugh Architects; it was the seventh Ahmadiyya mosque designed by Ahmad. [9] [10]

The mosque complex is 4,500 m2 (48,000 sq ft) in size. [1] A 97-foot-tall (30 m) [9] steel-capped minaret tower and large steel dome are its most prominent external features. [3] Around the exterior of the building are written 99 Arabic words, each an attribute of Allah's character as stated in the Qur'an. [11]

In addition to serving as a place of worship, the mosque complex includes classrooms, office space, a children's area, a kitchen and a community centre. [2] In the prayer hall of the mosque hangs a 400-kilogram chandelier [2] that cost $50,000. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

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