Al-Morabito Mosque, Islamic prayer house in Córdoba, Spain
Al-Morabito Mosque is a mosque in Córdoba, Spain, built during the Spanish Civil War and inaugurated in July 1938. It is considered Spain's first modern mosque. The building was a gift from Francisco Franco to the Muslim soldiers in his army so they could use it as a prayer space.
The building was created during the Spanish Civil War as a prayer place for Muslim soldiers. After the war it was used for other purposes for decades before eventually being returned to the Muslim community.
The mosque's name, El Morabito, refers to the Almoravids, the Berber dynasty that ruled al-Andalus from the 11th to 12th centuries. Since 1992 it has served the Muslim community of Córdoba, which requested the building from mayor Julio Anguita after the return of democracy.
The mosque stands in Córdoba's Santa Rosa district, at the coordinates 37.88992, -4.77812, away from the historic centre around the Mezquita-Catedral. It reopened for congregational prayer in 1992, so it functions as an active place of worship rather than a monument with set visiting hours. Visitors should arrange any call in advance with the Association of Muslims in Córdoba and avoid the five daily prayers.
The mosque was inaugurated in July 1938, making it Spain's first modern mosque, built as a gift from Franco to his Muslim soldiers. From 1950 until the early 1990s the building housed a library specialised in Islam, partly stocked with donations from the Delegation of Culture of the Spanish High Commission in Morocco.
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