Eyüp Sultan Mosque in the northern French city of Roubaix, affiliated with the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs, opened its doors to visitors for the Open Doors Days held as part of European Heritage Days.
During the weekend event, visitors toured the mosque and received information about Islam and the building’s architecture in Turkish and French. Surahs from the Quran were recited along with their French translations.
Food from Turkish cuisine was served at stands in the mosque’s courtyard. Kayseri mantı was among the dishes offered to visitors.
Turquoise tones and tulip motifs feature prominently
Different shades of blue, including turquoise, stand out in the mosque’s interior. The glass decorations on the dome were inspired by tulip motifs from the art of marbling.
The building has a worship area with a capacity of 3,000 people, a 23-meter-high minaret and eight domes. Marble details were used in various sections, particularly around the mihrab, while the lighting incorporates elements reminiscent of mosques in Istanbul.
Visitors had the opportunity to discover different cultures
Marie Pessemier-Deboudt, a resident of Roubaix, said she found the mosque’s architecture interesting and visited the building before prayer time. Pessemier-Deboudt said she tries to see a new mosque every year during the Open Doors Days and attended the event to learn about the Muslim community living in the same city and build connections with different cultures.
Pessemier-Deboudt also said she had the opportunity to taste Kayseri mantı during her visit.
Remi A., a resident of Roubaix, said they noticed the Eyüp Sultan Mosque’s Open Doors Days event when they moved to the city five years ago and visited the mosque. Remi A. said they had followed the progress of its construction since then and noted that the building had now become fully operational.
Remi A. said the mosque’s distinctive architecture gives nonreligious people an opportunity to discover other cultures. Remi A. also said they did not know much about Islam.
Leila Hamoud, who is of Algerian origin, said she traveled for 50 minutes to see the mosque. Hamoud said the event demonstrated the universality of Islam and that the mosque’s beauty, decoration, colors and the recitation of the Fatiha surah gave her a sense of peace.
The mosque’s street was renamed Istanbul Street
İbrahim Alcı, president of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque Association, said that Muslims as well as residents from France and Belgium attend the Open Doors Days they have organized for years.
Alcı said Roubaix has seven mosques and that Eyüp Sultan Mosque is the largest and most beautiful of them. Alcı said Guillaume Delbar, who was mayor of Roubaix at the time of the mosque’s official opening last year, named the building “La Dame Bleue,” meaning “The Blue Lady.”
Alcı said the municipality had renamed the street where the mosque is located “Istanbul Street” and explained that the Open Doors Days are organized to introduce Islam and Muslim worship practices and to open the mosque’s doors to the public.
Alcı said they had received positive feedback about the building’s architecture and wanted to draw inspiration from Turkish architecture and some elements of the works of Mimar Sinan. He noted that meticulous work had been carried out on the interior decoration, marble, doors, domes and calligraphy.
Alcı said construction of Eyüp Sultan Mosque was completed over a total of 12 years, including two years of theoretical work, and that 5,000 people attended its official opening last May.
