Marbella Mosque

Marbella Mosque

This beautiful Arabian temple overlooks the golden mile just to the west of the city centre (towards San Pedro). It was the first Mosque constructed in Spain since the Christian re-conquest in the fifteenth century. It was built in 1981 by then Prince Salmán bin Abdulaziz in honour of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Saúd of Saudi Arabia.

Its official name is King Abdul Aziz Mosque as it was dedicated to the first monarch and founder of Saudi Arabia. It was inaugurated on the first day after Ramadam 1 July 1981.

It is a beautiful example of modern Andalucian architecture, and is an impressive example of the juxtaposition of cultures in Andalucia. The archiect was Sr. Juan Mora from Cordoba. It has a capacity of 800 persons. In its center are the "Mihrab" (temple) and the "Minbar" and on both sides there exclusive prayer rooms for women.

The centre piece of the main hall is the 12m diameter roof dome which has 24 stained glass windows around the base of the dome. These achieve a magnificent lighting effect. Hanging down in the centre is a 500kg bronze chandelier made from 130 individual lamps, an original work handmade in Fez in the 7th century.

The mosque contains a public library which houses a collection of 30,000 volumes, focusing on Koranic studies. There are beautiful iconic gardens surrounding the Mosque which can be seen when driving on the highway N-340.

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