10 May 2011 Last updated at 16:10

In pictures: UK's oldest purpose-built mosque in Woking

The Shah Jahan Mosque, in Woking, was built in 1889 by Dr Gottlieb Leitner, a Jewish interpreter and academic. It became the first purpose-built mosque in the UK.

Dr Leitner was born in Budapest in 1840 and was a gifted linguist. He became a lecturer of Arabic, Greek and Turkish at Kings College, London, when he was just 19.

Dr Leitner was appointed by the British government as the Principal of Government College Lahore, in what is now Pakistan. It was while working there he decided to establish an oriental institute and a mosque in England.

When he chose Woking as its home he persuaded the ruler of the Indian state of Bhopal, Begum Shahjahan, to finance the majority of the building work despite her never having been to England. The mosque is named after her.

The mosque fell into disuse between 1900 and 1912, before being rescued by Islamic lecturer Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din, who came to England from the Punjab. While visiting the mosque he is said to have found a copy of the Koran in the corner of the building and felt inspired to bring the mosque back into use. This photograph is from a 1905 postcard.

Professor Ajmal Nasim, who is head of education and one of the imams at the mosque, said: "This mosque is not just important for British Muslims, but is now part of Britain's heritage in general."

Eventually the mosque was deemed too small for the congregation so warehouses at the back of the property were taken over and transformed into prayer halls for men and women.

The main male prayer hall can hold 1,000 people and according to Professor Nasim, during Eid ul Fitr more than 5,000 worshippers descend upon the mosque.

The Sir Salar Jag Memorial Hall was also built next door to the mosque at the same time. It is home to the mosque's library, office and accommodation for one of the imams.

The library contains books written in various languages about the life of the Prophet Muhammad.

The mosque is now a major centre for community relations in Woking with schools around Surrey visiting it to educate children about Islam.

Surrey

In pictures: UK's oldest purpose-built mosque in Woking

Share this page

Related Stories

Related Internet links

Services

About BBC News