Suraya Mosque

Suraya Mosque
Mezquita Suraya
Religion
Affiliation	Shia Islam
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Mosque
Status	Active
Location
Location	Torreon, Coahuila
Country	Mexico
Location of the mosque in Coahuila
Interactive map of Suraya Mosque
Coordinates	25°33′36″N 103°26′26″W / 25.5599°N 103.4405°W / 25.5599; -103.4405 (Mezquita Suraya)
Architecture
Architect	Zain Chamut
Type	Mosque
Style	Mozarabic
Groundbreaking	1986
Completed	1989
Specifications
Dome	1
Minaret	1
Minaret height	10 m (33 ft)
Website
surayamosque.com

The Suraya Mosque (Spanish: Mezquita Suraya) is a Shia mosque located in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico. The mosque was completed in 1989 and was the first purpose-built mosque constructed in Mexico.^[1]

History

The Suraya Mosque is the oldest mosque in Mexico. The mosque had significant influence on the political structure of the Mexican government.^{[citation needed]} The mosque's administrators were^[when?] expanding it and purchasing the surrounding land.

The region around Torreón has had a Middle Eastern immigrant presence since the early 20th century. However, it wasn't until 1983 that approximately 35 people, descendants of first generation immigrants, founded the first Islamic meeting house in Mexico. The meeting house was led by Hassan Zain Chamut.^[2][3]

One of the attendants, Elias Serhan Selim, proposed the meeting house have a dedicated place of worship built for the community. He sponsored the project and sought the expertise of architect Zain Chamut in order to design a mosque that reflected both Islamic and Hispanic architectural tradition. Construction of a mosque began in 1986 and was completed in 1989.^[4]

See also

• Mexico portal
• Shia Islam portal

• Islam in Mexico
• List of mosques in North America

References

1. "Desde Torreón hasta Chiapas: islam en México". Excélsior (in Spanish). October 4, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
2. Coah, Yohan Uribe Jiménez. "El Islam en La Laguna, una tradicional minoría religiosa" (in Spanish). El Siglo de Torreón. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
3. Kusumo, Fitra Ismu. Islam en el Mexico Contemporaneo (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2014.
4. "Espacio 4 - Ramadán en el desierto ...de Torreón". www.espacio4.com (in Spanish). Retrieved October 12, 2016.

External links

• Media related to Suraya Mosque at Wikimedia Commons