Turkish mosque Waterschei

This - original - boarding house dates from 1930, which makes it the youngest of the bachelors' lodgings established for the Waterschei coal mine.

The Turkish association Mevlana, named after the Turkish order of Derwisj Mevlana, was established as early as 1969.
Turkish migrants did not come to the mining region until the 60s and with their faith encountered a completely alien world. In order to profess their Islamic faith, the Turkish community initially used the provisional barracks established after the war as their prayer centre.

In 1984 the old boarding house Excelsior was acquired and converted into a Turkish meeting place and mosque. In fact, this makes the 'Mevlana' society the largest Turkish parish in Genk and it covers an area beyond the boundaries of Waterschei. Muslems from Zwartberg, Driehoeven, Meeuwen, Opglabbeek and elsewhere regularly visit the Turkish mosque in Waterschei.
On the top floor, the building has 30 rooms for unmarried men of all nationalitites.

The room downstairs is used as a meeting place. The mosque was integrated into the existing building. As custom in mosques, there are separate prayer rooms for men and women. The building also has a classroom, a meeting area for women and an area for ablutions.

The mosque is a rather large, almost empty space, with wall-to-wall carpet. You enter barefoot after completing ritual ablutions. There are several clocks, so if one clock breaks, prayer times can be observed at all times. The clocks are there because the times for the 5 daily prayers are calculated exactly for each location according to the position of the sun.

The grand pulpit is only used for the Friday services and 2 festivals. The minor pulpit is for daily use. There are only decorated plates with the names of Allah, Mohammed and the prophet's family members written in Arabic. The very simple dome symbolises God's infinity.

Turkse moskee Waterschei
Wildekerslaan 46A
3600 Genk