Oxford Mosque, a site for cultural communication
Oxford Mosque, a site for cultural communication
The Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque - may God have mercy on him - in Oxford is considered the first international project supervised by the Khalifa Foundation for Humanitarian Work, in addition to the campus of worship, a bastion of science, a beacon for Islamic values ​​and culture, and their ability to integrate into various cultures In various social settings, this mosque in the city of Oxford has become a meeting place for civilizations, and for civilizational and cultural communication.The mosque is part of the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed of the importance of dialogue between peoples and religions and the possibility of peaceful coexistence between different civilizations. The mosque is the basic building block of the new building of the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies within the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and the mosque was built to be the most prominent landmark of the center building Islamic and committed to providing the highest standards of quality in educational programs, studies and research related to Islamic civilization. In addition to the mosque, there are classrooms, a library, student housing, and other components of the new building of the center.The mosque was designed in a way that makes its architectural features compatible with the local environment of Oxford, and in a way that makes it compatible with the archaeological urban environment that has characterized the city of Oxford throughout the ages. The mosque was also designed to be a destination either for Muslims wishing to pray in it or to get to know this Islamic landmark closely for non-Muslims, so it was designed in a way that allows visitors to access it from outside the building.The capacity of the mosque is up to 1,000 worshipers, distributed between a prayer room for men and another for women, in addition to the appropriate equipment that requires that. It has also been taken into account that the appropriate entrances and exits of the mosque are provided, whether for the internal courtyards of the mosque (which provides additional space for the worshipers) or for communication as well with the rest of the Islamic Center building.As for the infrastructure, it has been taken into account that the building is designed to contain the latest in operational technology, in terms of mechanical or electrical services, as well as taking into account the aspect of supporting the use of information technology during speeches or lectures, as well as the design of the infrastructure to be able to Keeping up with the changes that may occur to the technological means and the ability to update what has been provided to the mosque.Some may refer to the project of the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque - may God have mercy on him - as a blessing that we used to see from the founder of the state - may God forgive him - and it is, but this mosque in particular has more importance than building stone, and more than spending money It is an important meeting point between human civilizations. Indeed, as planned, it will be a beacon to spread the values ​​of tolerance between religions and activate the culture of goodness, cooperation, love and peace among peoples.