Grand Mosque of Paris

The Grand Mosque of Paris is a large mosque complex in Paris’s 5th arrondissement, notable for its Hispano-Moorish architecture and public gardens. It was constructed in the 1920s and opened in 1926 as both a place of worship and a cultural institution.

The complex includes a prayer hall, a 33-metre-high minaret, tiled courtyards, ornamental gardens and public spaces such as a tea room and hammam. The mosque is one of the best-known Islamic religious sites in metropolitan France and also engages in cultural and community activities.

Built in the aftermath of World War I, the mosque commemorated Muslim soldiers from French territories and has since functioned as both a religious centre and public landmark in the Latin Quarter, adjacent to the Jardin des Plantes and higher education institutions.

It stands in central Paris’s 5th arrondissement, within walking distance of the Seine and major central Paris landmarks.

• Date and purpose: Construction began in the early 1920s and the mosque was inaugurated in 1926, built as a national tribute to Muslim soldiers from French colonies who served in World War I.
• Setting: Located in Paris's Latin Quarter, close to the Jardin des Plantes, and notable for its Hispano-Moorish decorative style and public garden courtyard.

What to See #

• Prayer hall and minaret: The prayer hall and minaret - the mosque interior features a large prayer space with Moorish decorative elements and an adjacent minaret forming a visual landmark in the 5th arrondissement.
• Courtyard and gardens: Courtyard and gardens - a landscaped courtyard and small gardens with fountains accompany the mosque complex and connect to visitor spaces including a tea room.