The Jummah Mosque
The extension work on the Mosquée-des-Arabes began in 1878. The plan called for the blending of the original structure into the larger one to accommodate the growing Muslim congregation. The work called for particular skills and dexterity, notably in the moulding and plastering of the sculptural work with ornamentation -- skills that could not be handled by local workers. Specialised workers were brought from India for the job as were the necessary building materials, namely: stones, lime and wood. Transportation posed no problem as several members of the Managing Body of the Mosque, headed by Haji Joonus Allarakia, were also owners of ships that plied regularly between India and Mauritius.
The crew of the Indian artisans, who did the extension works, was overseered by Ishaq Mistry, also from India. For the whole duration of the works, the workers stayed on the compounds of the Mosque "sleeping and eating under the pillared arches of the outer court." The project took twenty years to be completed. The long delay was due either to outbreaks of disease among the workers or to shortage of materials. However, in 1895, the expansion of the Mosque was completed. Al-Hajj Jackaria Jan Mahomed, a prominent member of the Muslim community in Port Louis and of the Managing Board of the Mosque, supervised the entire expansion project which saw the small Mosquee des Arabes expand from a small fringe on Queen Street to occupy the entire block except for a small section on Royal Street, which was leased to businesses for revenue purposes. The beautiful, small Mosquée-des-Arabes became the Jummah Mosque of Mauritius. It is a magnificent work of architecture conspicuous for its bulging domes, well trimmed arches and white minarets. The skill and dexterity shown by the workers in blending intricately the old structure with the new, speak eloquently of "their out standing ability and patience and personal devotion" to what became, to all involved in the project, a labour of love.
