Kerk Street Mosque

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Kerk Street Mosque
Kerk street Mosque in Johannesburg.jpg
The mosque, from Sauer Street
Religion
Affiliation Islam
Ecclesiastical or organisational status Mosque
OwnershipJumaat Masjied Society
StatusActive
Location
LocationKerk Street, Johannesburg
Country South Africa
Greater Johannesburg OpenStreetMap small.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the mosque in Greater Johannesburg
Geographic coordinates 26°12′11″S28°02′17″E / 26.203181°S 28.037951°E / -26.203181; 28.037951
Architecture
Architect(s)
Type Mosque architecture
Style New Classical
Date establishedc. 1890s
Completed
  • 1918 (first mosque)
  • 1990 (current mosque)
Specifications
Capacity2,000 worshippers
Dome(s)One
Minaret(s)One
Site area740 m2 (8,000 sq ft)
Materials Brick; masonry

The Kerk Street Mosque, also known as the Jumah Mosque, [a] is in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Contents

The mosque, situated on stand 788, is one of the oldest mosques and places of worship in Johannesburg.

History

The first Muslim community to occupy the land set up a tent in the closing years of the nineteenth century, then in 1906 built a wood and corrugated iron structure. In 1918 construction of a brick walled structure was completed. The brick mosque was demolished in 1990 and was replaced with the modern Kerk Street Mosque designed by Driehaus Prize winner Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil. [2] [3] [4]

The old Kerk Street Mosque in 1985 that was demolished to give way to the new building. Kerk Street Mosque JHF kerk & sauer str 005.jpg
The old Kerk Street Mosque in 1985 that was demolished to give way to the new building.

Design

The site measures 740 m2 (8,000 sq ft), bounded by Sauer Street and Kerk Street. The site has been used as a mosque since the 1890s, with the first formal structure was built on the site in 1918. Structural collapse and inadequate facilities led to the commissioning of the current project. [5] : 27  The mosque follows the city grid of Johannesburg on the outside; the inside is oriented to face Mecca. From Johannesburg, that is 11° east of due north. [3]

Architect Muhammad Mayet's design has a substantial vocabulary of traditional elements contained within its various parts: domes, squinches, pendentives, fan vault and cross vaults. [5] : 28  Artisans from Morocco were flown in to do the intricate plasterwork, a craftsman from Egypt was responsible for the wood carving and Turkish professionals hand carved the delicate marble used to adorn the mosque. [6] The exterior is plastered and painted white, creating a plain but elegant appearance that allows the form to be clearly read.

The prayer hall consists of a series of arches on pillars with segmental arches over supporting segmental vaults which run parallel to the Qibla wall. The vaults are interrupted in the middle by a dome which establishes a central axis pointing towards Makkah. The direction of Makkah is emphasized by the main dome on the north side which is raised on a drum which filters light into the interior directly above the mihrab . [5] : 28 

The building is of load-bearing brick and masonry construction built on top of a combination of pile and raft concrete foundations. This construction means the temperature inside the mosque remains a constant 23 °C (73 °F). [6] The mosque can accommodate up to 2,000 worshippers. [6]

Heritage status

The mosque was declared a national monument by the National Monument Council "because of its historical, aesthetic and cultural value". [7] : 27  [8]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Jumah means Friday, the most important day for Muslim prayer. [1]

References

  1. ↑ Michell, John (26 March 1995). "God's Builders". The Sunday Times Magazine. p. 41.
  2. ↑ Pieterse, Marius (24 April 2013). "Kerk Street: The Kerk Street Mosque". Urban Joburg. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 Davie, Lucille (25 January 2007). "Some Great Places to Worship". Official Website of the City of Johannesburg. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  4. ↑ Holod, Renata; Khan, Hasan-Uddin (1997). The Contemporary Mosque: Architects, Clients, and Designs Since the 1950s. New York: Rizzoli. ISBN   0-8478-2043-2.
  5. 1 2 3 Mayet, Muhammad (July–August 1994). "The City Room: Kerk Street Jumah Masgied". Architecture SA.
  6. 1 2 3 Davids, Nashira (30 November 2003). "Memorable Mosques". The Sunday Times: Metro.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ↑ Mahida, Ebrahim Mahomed (1993). History of Muslims in South Africa: A Chronology (PDF). Durban: Arabic Study Circle. ISBN   0-620-17976-7.
  8. ↑ Dadoo, Suraya (30 June 2003). "South Africa: Many Muslims, One Islam". IslamOnline.net. Archived from the original on 8 July 2003. Retrieved 15 March 2022.