Paris: La Grande Mosquee de Paris and l'Institut du Monde Arabe

Even though I am Christian, I have an interest as well as a deep respect for Islam. I find the religion and the culture fascinating. So when I was in Paris, I had to go to the La Grande Mosquee.


La Grand Mosquee de Paris. June 2007.

The mosque was built in 1922 to honor the North African countries that aided France during the First World War and renovated in 1992. One hundred thousand North African tirailleurs died fighting Germany. During the Second World War, the mosque was a secret refuge for the persecuted and provided shelter, safe passage and fake Muslim birth certificates for Jewish children.

The mosque closely resembles the mosques of Marrakesh. The mosque was built following the mudejar style, based on Iberian architecture. It was constructed of reinforced concrete and decorated with Moroccan mosaics, wood carvings and wrought iron. It is still an active place of worship. Located in the Fifth Arrondissement, it is the largest mosque in France and the third largest in Europe.


The Moroccan style minaret, which is 33 meters high.


Me with the minaret in the background. I tried to be respectful of the religion and wore a scarf over my head.


Some of the elaborate mosaics and wood carvings.


In the courtyard in front of the ablutions fountain.


Outside the entrance, to the left of the minaret.

I adored the mosque and would probably visit again. Maybe next time I can take one of the guided tours.

While we're on my Islam obsession, I also visited the Institut du Monde Arabe (Museum of the Arab World). The museum exhibits calligraphy, decorative arts, architecture, and photography of the Arab world. The building was designed in 1987 by architect Jean Nouvel and includes a gift shop and Moroccan restaurant.

Paris: Notre Dame

Cathedrale de Notre Dame. Paris, France. June 2007.

The Story:

I've been to Paris on three separate occasions: First in 1999 with my grandmother and a church group. Second in 2002 when I was studying abroad in Luxembourg and my grandmother, mother and aunt visiting me during my vacation. And finally in 2007 when I was studying abroad for the second time and once more chose Paris for my vacation.

On the first trip, we took a tour of the cathedral. On the second, we visited and on the third, I chose to climb the towers since I'd never done it before. These photos are from that third trip.

























I enjoy taking interesting shots of landmarks. Here, I was trying to capture the immense size of the cathedral's towers. Notre Dame, Paris, June 2007.

As mentioned above, I decided to climb the towers - a task that involved standing in line (I grabbed a sandwich before I got in line, I believe it was ham, cheese and butter on a baguette from a street vendor. And it was delicious!), lots of small steep winding stairs and fantastic views of the cathedral and the city:



The square in front of Notre Dame from one of the towers. Originally, only that center defined area was open and a road, the rest was buildings. If you look closely, you can see steps at the back of the square. Those lead down to the Archaeological Crypt, a museum that explores the history of the city, from the original tribes onward. Notre Dame, Paris, June 2007.



This is a shot looking down from the towers at he flying buttresses supporting the massive walls of the cathedral. Notre Dame, Paris, June 2007.



My feet on Point Zero. It is considered the official center of the city. Distances between Paris and other French cities are measured from this point. However, I visited it because of its Dan Brown fame. Paris June 2007.

I also took a walk around the city at night with a couple of classmates. Here's a shot of the cathedral all lit up for the night:


Paris, June 2007