Markazi_Masjid,_Dewsbury
Markazi Masjid, Dewsbury
Mosque in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England
The Markazi Masjid ("Central Mosque"), also known as the Dewsbury Markaz or Dar ul Ulum ("House of Knowledge"),[1] is a mosque in the Savile Town area of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England.
With a maximum capacity of 4,000,[2] it is one of the largest mosques in Europe.[3] It is the European headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat movement,[4][5][6] and also houses one of the two main Islamic seminaries in the UK.[3][7] The mosque serves as a centre for Tablighi Jamaat's missionary activity throughout Europe.[1]
It was also the location of the Institute of Islamic Education (Arabic: جامعات تعليم الإسلام, romanized: ‘Jāmi’at Ta’līm al-Islām),[8] a private day and boarding faith school for boys aged 13–25[9] However the school formally closed in January 2023.[10]
Construction of the mosque commenced in 1978 and was completed in 1982;[11] the seminary was founded in 1980.[2] The founder of Dewsbury Markaz was Hafiz Patel, who remained its leading figurehead until his death in 2016.[11]