Grand Mosque of Paris

The Grand Mosque of Paris in the Quartier Latin is France's oldest major mosque. It was built between 1922 and 1926 as a tribute to the North African tirailleurs who had fought for France against the German Empire in World War I. The architects Robert Fournez, Maurice Mantout and Charles Heubes followed the Hispano-Moorish style of the madrasas of Fez, with a 33-meter minaret and a courtyard lined with Andalusian mosaics. During the German occupation, rector Si Kaddour Benghabrit hid Jewish children here and issued Muslim birth certificates to protect them. Today visitors use the public hammam, drink mint tea in the Cafe Maure under the fig trees, or admire the carved cedarwood ceilings of the prayer hall.