Konnichiwa Kobe!

Date :  27 November 2010

Place: Kobe Mosque ~  Kobe Port ~  Maritime Museum.

Kobe Mosque

            After walking around 20 minutes from Sannomiya, JR train station, finally I reached at  Kobe Mosque. I noticed there looks like Muslim community area where I could find many  Muslim people and several Halal Food shops. At Kobe Mosque, I had a chance meeting with  mosque manager, Mr. Ahsan. Actually, he is a father of my two teachers during my former university: Saira-sensei and Saima-sensei. I was informed he had been 35 years living in Kobe since he immigrated from Pakistan. I am really lucky to meet him, knowing some past and current Muslim issue in Kobe.
         According to Mr. Ahsan, the Kōbe Mosque  (神戸モスク) or Kobe Muslim Mosque (神戸 ムスリムモスク) was founded in October, 1935. It is Japan's first mosque ever constructed,  by donations collected by the Islamic Committee of Kobe from 1928 until its opening in 1935. Unfortunately, the mosque was confiscated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1943. However, it continues to function as mosque today. It is located in the Kitano-cho foreign district of Kobe. 

       Gratefully to Allah, during the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995, the Kobe Mosque strongly preserved without any catastrophe. Historically, the mosque was built in traditional Turkish style by the Czech architect Jan Josef Švagr (1885–1969), the architect of a number of Western religious buildings throughout Japan. And now, I observed unitil last weekend, it developed progressively with further renovation. Hopefully, may Allah bless the Kobe land and I pray He open other hearts to be at Peace.  ~Amin~

 

Kobe Muslim Mosque

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ablution Chamber

 

Prayer Hall

 

Mihrab Kobe Mosque

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kobe Islamic Culture Centre

  

 

 

 

Front View of Kobe Mosque

 

 

 

 

Turkey Halal Food Shop also available nearby Kobe Mosque

 

This shop has variety of Halal food products of Muslim world countries include Malaysia!