Jummah Masjid

The Jummah Mosque (formerly Mosque of the Arabs) dates from the 1850s.  The building combines Indian, Creole, and Islamic architecture with white domes and obelisks.  The Jummah Mosque houses the remains of Jamal Shah (a pair from Kutch, India) in a marble tomb next to the mosque.  In 1852 members of the mercantile community of Port Louis purchased two properties in Queen Street, for a total of Rs 6,800.  These two properties were the foundations of the Mosque.  The mosque’s architecture is a blend of Moorish and Mughal influences.  The old former Mosque of the Arabs was incorporated as the main prayer hall in the expanded building, illuminated by glass chandeliers.  An Indian almond or badam tree stands in the middle of the mosque’s courtyard and was already present on the two pieces of land that were purchased in 1852.