The new mosque has already become a landmark at Europa Point, together with the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe and the Lighthouse, all lying within a few yards of each other an excellent beacon for peace and harmony between religions.

This must surely be the most southerly mosque in the continent of Europe. The beautifully designed mosque blends the classics Islamic designs with all the modern, high tech utilities. Some of the decorators are reminiscent of the Alhambra in Granada.

The project costs some five million pounds, and it is said that this is possibly the most expensive mosque in Europe per square metre. For the inauguration ceremony and reception, the brother of King Fahad of Saudi Arabia, the projects sponsor, HRH Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz, and the Kings youngest son, HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Fahd Bin Abdulaziz, visited the Rock, together with many other members of the Saudi royal family and other invited guests in an incredible entourage comprising some sixty limousines, accompanied by some incredible scenes of security measures.

The main contractor was Cubiertas and there were many sub-contractors involved in the two year building project. The mosque has been funded by the Ibrahim Bin Abdulaziz Al Ibrahim Foundation and its name is The Mosque of The Custodian of The Holy Mosques.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques is the official title of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, the project’s backer. The two mosques referred to be one of the Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, the holiest in Islam.

The concept design for the mosque came from Mr Zakarias. The complex’s ground floor area covers 985 square metres and contains the Inman’s house, accommodation facilities for the caretaker, six classrooms, a conference hall, a morgue, a well stocked library, administration offices, a kitchen and ablution facilities for male and female faithful. The whole building is fully air-conditioned throughout.

The first floor includes an exquisitely decorated main prayer hall covering an area of 480 square metres and can hold approximately four hundred faithful. The ceiling has nine solid brass chandeliers, which were made built in Egypt. Eight surround the hall and a huge one, weighing two tons, hangs below the dome in the middle hall. Marble tiles, imported from Carrara in Italy, have been used in all external cladding and also cover the columns supporting the main prayer hall and its Kabila (main alter). The niche, which is oriented towards Mecca, is covered in decorative plaster. A massive carpet which was woven in one single piece covers the entire area of the main prayer hall and the women’s prayer hall has been custom made in Saudi Arabia. Its design follows the same design motifs as those, which appear, on the brass chandeliers, the stained glass windows and the large dome on the ceiling of the prayer hall. The brass decorative lamps also come from Egypt.

A lift connects the ground floor with the mezzanine floor where the women’s prayer hall and the nursery are situated, overlooking the main prayer hall, but screened by a wooden Masharabia screen.

The minaret measures 71 metres in height from the ground floor to the top, crowned by six metre high brass crescent.

All the wooden doors are made of teak, decorated with brass ornaments and made in Egypt. On the ground floor, all the panel doors are made of 51mm thick solid timber. The decorative screens on the outside windows are made of glass reinforced concrete, precast in Madrid. The two huge crescents which top the dome, the outside of which is covered with mosaic tiles, and the minaret are made of steel frames covered with brass plates, manufactured in Egypt.