Mahmood Mosque

The Mahmood Mosque stands on Forchstrasse in Zurich, Canton of Zurich. It is the first mosque built specifically for worship in Switzerland. The building belongs to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. A tall minaret rises above the structure. Swiss law now bans new minaret construction after a popular vote. The mosque’s foundation stone came from the wall of the Mubarak Mosque in India. Amatul Hafeez Begum placed it in 1962. She was the daughter of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who founded the Ahmadiyya movement. The mosque opened in June 1963 with Sir Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, then UN General Assembly president, attending. Dr. Emil Landolt, Zurich’s mayor, also joined the ceremony. The Swiss mission was led by Mushtaq Ahmad Bajwa from 1962 to 1975. Inside, visitors find a prayer hall with simple furnishings. Light falls through large windows onto the carpeted floor. The minaret’s silhouette marks the skyline beyond the windows. Outside, the quiet street contrasts with the mosque’s white domes. The building remains a centre for the local Ahmadiyya community.