Our Story

Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad, Chair of the Board of Trustees, The Cambridge Mosque Trust.

Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad, Chair of the Board of Trustees, The Cambridge Mosque Trust.

Cambridge Islamic Art was founded in 2011 by a small group of dedicated volunteers to help raise funds and awareness of the then proposed eco-mosque in Cambridge, UK. 

In late 2011, the team reached out to eminent Islamic artists around the world asking for donations of their artwork that could be sold to fundraise for this ground-breaking project. This led to the launch of Cambridge Islamic Art’s first international online sale in 2015, followed by further sales in 2017, 2020 and 2022. The sales featured works from some of the world’s most prestigious practitioners of Islamic calligraphy, woodwork, ceramics, illumination, glassware, embroidery and stone carving from all continents. The artists included grand master Hasan Çelebi (Turkey), Fuad Kouichi Honda (Japan), Haji Noor Deen (China), Ayten Tiryaki (Turkey), Raeda Ashour (Saudi Arabia), Nuria Garcia Masip (Spain), Rasheed Butt (Pakistan), Adam Williamson (UK) and Ayesha Gamiet (UK) to name a few.

The sales were warmly received, with visitors and purchases from across the globe, including the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. In total, over £170,000 has been raised, all of which has directly benefited the Cambridge Mosque Project - Europe’s first eco-mosque.

In April 2019 the mosque was completed and able to open its doors for its first prayer to the public. With the formal building process complete, the mosque is now striving to establish an endowment (waqf) to cover the ongoing maintenance costs of this unique establishment.

Sign-up to our website newsletter to view our next collection that will offer an even more ambitious and diverse collection of Islamic art from worldwide contributors to continue to support Europe’s first eco-mosque and to ensure its longevity for future generations.

 

Video: Sale III announcement by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad (15th November 2020).

 

- All proceeds in aid of Europe’s first eco-mosque -

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the artists who have generously donated their artwork, and to those who continue to support the project. 

A selection of artwork successfully sold in previous sales, a blessed reminder of the beauty and on-going vitality of the sacred arts tradition of the Islamic world.

A selection of artwork successfully sold in previous sales, a blessed reminder of the beauty and on-going vitality of the sacred arts tradition of the Islamic world.

 

Supporting Europe’s 1st Eco-Mosque

The eco-mosque is regarded as revolutionising the way mosques are built in Europe (see video).

The eco-mosque is regarded as revolutionising the way mosques are built in Europe (see video).

The new Cambridge mosque has established itself as Europe’s first eco-friendly mosque by incorporating specialised design features to minimise carbon emissions. Additionally, the project’s award-winning London Eye architect, Marks Barfield Architects, worked closely with world renowned sacred geometer, Keith Critchlow from The Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London, to include architectural elements from both traditional Islamic architecture as well as the surrounding city of Cambridge in the design.

The mosque accommodates a congregation of 1,000 worshippers, as well as state of the art teaching areas, meeting rooms, exhibition space, a morgue, a café and an Islamic garden designed by Emma Amina Clark.

cambridgecentralmosque.org

“A calm oasis within a grove of trees" - Emma Amina Clark (Photo credit: Anne Miles)

“A calm oasis within a grove of trees" - Emma Amina Clark (Photo credit: Anne Miles).

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