The Jumaa Mosque in the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha is both a cornerstone in the spiritual life of local people and a landmark in the new 31-hectare city-centre district. Situated on a major axis, the mosque is identifiable from afar by its tapering minaret, while at ground level a series of public and semi-public spaces integrate the complex into its urban setting.
Msheireb Downtown Doha makes a new heart for the city, shaped by a site-wide masterplan within which JMP also designed the M7 cultural forum, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences and the Msheireb Museums. All buildings in the district were asked to reflect Qatari heritage in contemporary form, and the mosque draws on both local and wider traditions of Islamic worship in its plan and decorative details.
Client: Msheireb Properties
Dates: 2012—2017
Architect and Landscape Architect:
John McAslan + Partners
Consultants
Arab Engineering Bureau
Equation
Qatar Aydiner Construction Company
Rider Levett Bucknall
General Contractor
Turner International Middle East (TiME Qatar)
Awards
Winner
Highly commended
Sacred geometry
The prayer hall has an adjoining entrance courtyard, or sahn, which is enclosed by a striking gatehouse and surrounded by shaded arcades (riwaqs). Both the courtyard and the prayer hall are laid out on a square plan, symbolizing tawḥīd – the unity and oneness of Allah. The number seven, a figure of deep spiritual meaning in Islam, appears repeatedly in the proportions and dimensions of the mosque; for example, the minaret’s height is seven times the 3.6-metre diameter of its base.
The plan is symmetrically organized along a central axis that aligns with the qibla, the direction of Mecca. Ornate, monumental entrances to both the gatehouse and the prayer hall are positioned on this axis, precisely aligned with the mihrab niche set into the western wall. Externally, the cubic building with few openings is faced in white limestone, in a contemporary evocation of the simplicity and solidity of traditional Qatari mosques.
Journey to prayer
In the conventional way, the complex had to accommodate separate worship spaces and circulation areas for men and women. Men enter the complex from a public piazza at its eastern end, progressing through a sequence of pronounced thresholds, each one deepening the sense of separation from the everyday world. Ablutions are performed in the two-storey gatehouse before worshippers enter the walled courtyard, where a tranquil atmosphere is fostered by a reflecting pool, and by trees such as date, olive and pomegranate, all referenced in the Quran. Tall bronze doors adorned with intricate patterns open into the foyer of the prayer hall. Flanking this foyer, but hidden from view, stairways ascend from separate street entrances to the women’s prayer area, located on a mezzanine overlooking the men’s hall.
Inside the richly textured triple-height prayer hall, worshippers are bathed in top-light, filtered through the filigree screen over a large north-facing window, and a triple-layered ceiling of glass-reinforced concrete perforated with myriad openings in a complex geometric pattern.
Sustainable and accessible
With abundant daylight, no artificial lighting is needed during the day, minimising energy demand. The sustainability strategy – developed to meet LEED Gold standards – also included the use of thermal mass for temperature control, careful shading, integration of rooftop photovoltaics and solar water heaters, and connection to the district cooling network. Accessibility and flexibility were also design priorities in a modern mosque, addressed through level thresholds and a largely column-free prayer hall allowing future adaptation.
Characterised by inclusivity, functionality and apparent simplicity, the mosque reflects the developer’s aspirations for Msheireb. For both worshippers and passers-by it is a calm and shaded oasis in the busy city, and an eloquent expression of faith in the language of the place.
