FOUR MORE PLACES TO EXPLORE

1 Abdullah Quilliam Mosque LIVERPOOL Where Britain got its first mosque

Liverpudlian solicitor William Quilliam converted to Islam in 1887, changed his name to Abdullah Quilliam and turned a terraced house in the city into Britain’s first mosque. It predated the Shah Jahan Mosque, the first purpose-built mosque, by a handful of months.

abdullahquilliam.org

2 Aziziye Mosque STOKE NEWINGTON, LONDON Where films gave way to worship

This building in north-east London was the Astra Cinema, famous for showing kung-fu movies, but its conversion into a mosque commenced in the early 1980s, funded by the UK Turkish Islamic Association. Its past as a picture house is still discernible in its façade.

aziziye.org.uk Aziziye Mosque was once a cinema

3 Ghamkol Sharif Mosque BIRMINGHAM Where thousands can worship

Located on a main arterial route out of the city, this mosque, built in the 1990s, is an extremely striking building. While the architecture lacks the delicate lines of the Shah Jahan Mosque, its significance is in its scale as it can accommodate 5,000 worshippers at any one time across three floors.

ghamkolsharif.org

4 Glasgow Central Mosque GLASGOW Where Scotland got its first mosque

Built to represent Muslims in Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow Central Mosque is found in the Gorbals district on the southern bank of the river Clyde. It was the first purpose-built mosque north of the border, opened in 1984. Guided tours are offered.

centralmosque.co.uk