Perth Mosque

Last updated

Perth Mosque
Mosque Perth 20180108-3.jpg
Religion
Affiliation Islam
StatusActive
Location
Location427 William Street, Perth [1]
State Western Australia
Geographic coordinates 31°56′37″S115°51′45″E / 31.943654°S 115.862578°E / -31.943654; 115.862578 (Perth Mosque)
Architecture
Architect(s) Din Mohammed
Groundbreaking1905;119 years ago (1905)
Completed1906;118 years ago (1906)
Direction of façadeEast
TypeHeritage Listed Place
Designated13 November 1995
Reference no. 2156

Perth Mosque, located in Perth, Western Australia is the oldest mosque in Perth and the second oldest purpose-built mosque in Australia. [2]

Contents

History

The mosque was designed and built between 1905 [3] and 1906. [4] Din Mohammed drew up the designs and the plans for the mosque, with John Eliot the supervising architect during its construction. [5] The mosque was founded by Hassan Musa Khan, a bookseller in Perth, who was also later the mosque's secretary and treasurer in 1906. [6] Prior to the construction of the mosque, Muslims in Perth typically prayed at home or in informal gatherings. [7]

Donations to construct the mosque were collected by Faiz Mahomet from Afghan cameleers and Muslim merchants across Western Australia, while Musa Khan raised funds in Perth. [5] On 13 November 1905, Faiz Mahomet laid the foundation stone for the mosque. [8] Accommodation at the mosque, added after its initial construction, provided refuge for cameleers during their old age. [5]

Fatteh Mohammad Dean, a superintendent for a night-watch company and an immigrant from Punjab, was among the first trustees of the mosque. [9] In 1906, Emir Habibullah Khan of Afghanistan was named trustee of the mosque to resolve tensions within the Perth Muslim communities. [10] [11]

The mosque was originally registered under the name 'The Mohammedan Mosque,' but this was changed to 'Perth Mosque' in June 1951. [12] Additions and renovations have been subsequently made to the original building over time, including in 1979, 1984 and 1997. [2]

In 2020, it was reported that on average 500 people regularly attended prayers on Fridays, with 100 people on average attending through the rest of the week. [7]

See also

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References

  1. ""The Oldest Mosque in Perth" - Review of Perth Mosque, Perth, Australia". TripAdvisor . Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 "inHerit - State Heritage Office". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  3. "NEWS AND NOTES". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954). Trove. 4 September 1905. p. 4. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  4. "NEWS AND NOTES". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954). Trove. 19 March 1907. p. 4. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Bartsch, Katharine (2016). "Does not the glorious East seem to be transported to our shores? Perth's Golden Mosque (1905)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand. 33: 22–32 via SAHANZ.
  6. "Australia's Muslim Cameleers". Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Perth Mosque has welcomed Muslims in Australia for more than a century". The National. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  8. Koutsoukis, A. J., "Mahomet, Faiz (1848–1910)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 21 April 2022
  9. "The story of Hanifa Deen's family". Muslim Journeys. National Archives of Australia. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  10. Maley, William (2019). "Afghans and Australians: the early days". Australia—Afghanistan Relations: 5–8.
  11. Canberra, Afghan Embassy-. "Afghans, Islam and Australia: From Cameleers to the Present Day - EMBASSY OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN CANBERRA - AUSTRALIA". www.canberra.mfa.af. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  12. Qadeer Rathur, Anwarul (1979). "Muslim encounter down under: Islam in Western Australia". Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs. 1: 109.