A textile merchant from southern India built this mosque in the heart of French-era Saigon, and hotel towers now rise beside it.
This is the Saigon Central Mosque in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was first called the India Jamia Muslim Mosque.
Construction began on 21 December 1934 and was completed in 1935.
The project was led by Mohamed Ismael, head of the city's Indian Muslim community. He was born in Koothanallur, in Tamil Nadu, in 1888, and moved to Saigon in 1903 to expand his family's textile business. In 1943 he received the title Khan Saheb for his public service.
The mosque has four slender minarets, and a wide flight of steps rises to a pale green and white facade. In front, a broad terrace is paved in pale tile, and green scalloped arches line the facade.
Inside, a plain white prayer hall with green shuttered windows and a red patterned carpet is cooled by ceiling fans.
One source says an earlier mosque stood on this site.
India's prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, visited Vietnam in October 1954, and a visit to this mosque is recorded. In 1958 Ho Chi Minh visited India in return.
Today it is one of about twelve active mosques in the city, according to a 2014 count. Sources differ on its architectural style, and on what stood here before.
The mosque was established in 1935 as the India Jamia Muslim Mosque. Construction began on 21 December 1934 and was led by J. M. Mohamed Ismael, head of the city’s Indian Muslim community.
Mohamed Ismael
Born in 1888 in what is now Koothanallur, Tamil Nadu, he came to Saigon in 1903 to expand his family’s textile business, which traded on Rue Catinat. In 1943 the Indian government awarded him the title Khan Saheb in recognition of his public services. A similarly designed mosque, the Fathima Masjid, was built in his home village.
Architecture and design
Wikipedia describes the mosque as built in an ancient Roman architectural style, with four minarets. Other sources describe the style differently, so sources differ.
More to know
Nehru’s visit
Jawaharlal Nehru visited Vietnam on 17 October 1954, and Ho Chi Minh visited India in return in February 1958. Nehru visited this mosque and a meeting of the Indian community held there.
The History, Architecture and later sections are adapted from the Wikipedia article “Saigon Central Mosque”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article. Text has been shortened.
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