When you hear that a mosque in Egypt is shortlisted for an architectural award, one would typically think of mosques around Cairo, but this one comes from the Upper Egyptian city of Sohag. The Basuna Mosque only opened to the public a few weeks ago, but it has already stunned all those who saw it and managed to snag a nomination for the Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture (AFAMA).
What brings us even more joy is that this mosque is entirely designed and built by Egyptians. Dar Arafa Architecturedesigned this stunning building. They’re a Cairo-based architecture firm established in 2006 by principal architect Waleed Arafa, who’s hometown is actually Sohag. The firm was previously nominated for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2010, and this year may be their chance to win an award.
The mosque utilises a simple design but draws you in with its grand allure. It is clearly based on the traditional Islamic style but seems to have been inspired by Pharaonic architecture in certain ways. Whatever was the designers’ muse, they’ve done a magnificent job.
Basuna Mosque is now among 27 mosques competing for the award, and are running against mosques from Thailand, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Mali. We couldn’t be more proud to see a brilliant Egyptian mosque competing for this prestigious international award, and we’re rooting for it to deservedly clinch the top spot.
From Cairo360.
