Islamic Center of Washington DC

This guide to the Islamic Center of Washington DC opens with a puzzle: the mosque's shell stood finished for three years before President Eisenhower opened its doors in 1957, and the guide traces why. You'll hear about the Egyptian ambassador Kamil Abdel Rahim, who recruited master craftsmen from across the Muslim world — a Turkish tile maker, Egyptian calligraphers, Persian weavers — to finish the building by hand. It follows the Italian architect Mario Rossi, who adapted a Mamluk style down to the horseshoe arches at the entrance. Listen for the tilework framing the mihrab in front of you.