Al-Rahman Mosque, Large mosque in Mansur district, Baghdad, Iraq
Al-Rahman Mosque is a mosque in the Mansur district featuring a central dome surrounded by eight smaller domes. Each of these smaller domes integrates eight additional domes within its structure, creating a layered architectural composition.
Saddam Hussein initiated the project in 1998 as part of a mosque-building campaign; the second phase began in 1999 with a design by Afif Jawad after Laith al-Nuaimi's initial plan. Construction halted during the 2003 US-led invasion, leaving only the skeleton. The site was later taken over by the Islamic Virtue Party, and in 2020 a court awarded the Shi'a Endowment Office the right to build.
The mosque's name means "Mosque of The Most Merciful". After 2003 it was taken over by the Islamic Virtue Party, which used its grounds as a parking lot and base; in 2020 a court ordered the party to pay $200 million in compensation, a ruling never enforced.
The unfinished structure stands in the Mansour district on the site of the old horse racing track, which moved to al-Ghazaliya in 1993. The grounds were taken over by the Islamic Virtue Party and used as a car park and party base, and in 2020 a court ordered the party to pay US$200 million in compensation, a ruling never carried out. Access is not organised for visitors.
The building's design drew inspiration from Taj Mahal architecture and was intended to accommodate up to 15,000 worshippers. This ambitious capacity reveals the project was conceived as one of the largest structures of its kind.
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