Aqsa Mosque, The Hague Explained

The Aqsa Mosque (Dutch; Flemish: Aksamoskee) is a mosque in the Dutch city of The Hague. It was originally built as a synagogue.

The neoclassical building on the Wagenstraat opened in 1844, serving the Ashkenazi Jews of the city. It was expanded in 1922 and damaged by fire in 1944.^[1] Around 80% of the city's Jews were killed in the Holocaust, while their synagogues were plundered.^[2]

In 1976,^[1] the Jewish community sold the building to the city on condition that it never be converted into a church. The city's Turkish Muslim community began using it without permission during Ramadan 1979 due to safety concerns over their previous mosque.^[3] The Turkish community took legal ownership of the building in 1981.^[4] The Jewish community moved into a converted former Protestant church, which has since been mostly repurposed as apartments.^[5]

The building is a Rijksmonument with the number 459778, inscribed 19 October 1993.^[6]

References

52.075°N 4.3133°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Wagenstraat Synagogue in Den Haag . Religiana . 3 May 2023.
2. Web site: The Hague, Netherlands . Jewish Virtual Library . 3 May 2023.
3. News: Moslems Want to Retain Synagogue . 3 May 2023 . . 3 August 1979.
4. Web site: The Hague . Jewish Cultural Quarter . 3 May 2023.
5. Web site: The Hague . JGuide Europe . 3 May 2023.
6. Web site: Synagoge, Wagenstraat 103, 2512 AS te 's-Gravenhage . . 3 May 2023 . Dutch.