Noor-al-Islam Mosque

Réunion is a beautiful example of different religions living together in harmony. Along with Mayotte, it's the only French department where the call to prayer is allowed to be heard beyond mosque walls. You’re now standing before France's first mosque, the Noor-al-Islam, which opened its doors in 1905, 21 years before the famous Great Mosque of Paris! It all started when six Muslim merchants bought this building. These businessmen traveled all the way from Gujarat, a region in western India that borders Pakistan. They were fabric traders who came to Réunion hoping to build new lives and tap into what they saw as a promising new market. The mosque you see today was rebuilt after a fire in 1974. It features beautiful Indian-style architecture, with white and green details and an impressive 32-meter-high minaret. The doors are open to visitors throughout the day, so feel free to step inside and see what's behind these walls. You’ll notice lovely blue, white, and red arcades, chosen in 1948 by the mosque’s president as a tribute to the French flag and the responsibility of being the country’s first mosque.