King Charles III visits Europe’s first eco-friendly mosque in Cambridge

King Charles III visited the Cambridge Central Mosque today during his trip to Cambridge, a project for which Turkey was among the primary supporters. During his visit, King Charles praised the mosque, which is the first in Europe to be built with sustainable architecture, describing it as a "remarkable example of how religious and social values can come together." During his visit, King Charles met with representatives of various communities, including the mosque's imams, board members, and community leaders who support the place of worship. Turkey's Ambassador to London, Osman Koray Ertaş, and Zeynep Coşkun Koç, one of the mosque's board members, were also present during the visit.

During the tour, King Charles was introduced to the eco-friendly features of the building, such as its solar panels, heat pumps, and natural ventilation systems, which keep the structure cool without the need for air conditioning due to its award-winning design. King Charles, known throughout his life for supporting interfaith relations, showed particular interest in the Community Garden while touring the mosque.

Before entering the main prayer hall of the mosque, King Charles was taken to a side room to remove his shoes. There, the King met with groups from the local community and students who attend weekday religious classes.

During the visit, some of Islam's approaches to environmental protection were also discussed. In his conversation with the board members, King Charles described the building as "magnificent" and "architecturally wonderful."

During his visit to the mosque, Charles said, "The care and effort put into this place, and the fact that there is a mosque built specifically for this purpose alongside a community center, makes a tremendous contribution not only to the Muslim community but to Cambridge itself. Therefore, I congratulate you and wish you with all my heart that your success continues in every field, that you continue your work with other faith communities in the region, and that you continue to present a remarkable example of interfaith cooperation. Thank you for hosting me here today."

During the visit, Abdal Hakim Murad, Chair of the Cambridge Mosque Trust, said, "We were delighted to be able to show the King the advanced sustainability technologies that make our mosque a symbol of humanity's common effort in the fight against climate change."

Zeynep Coşkun Koç, a member of the mosque's board of trustees, said, "When I first became involved in the mosque project fourteen years ago as a young master's student at the University of Cambridge, this mosque was just a dream on paper. Today, it has become one of the world's symbols of inclusivity, where we hosted His Majesty the King. As a board member, contributing to the cooperation between the Turkish Diyanet Foundation and the Cambridge Mosque Trust has been the greatest honor of my life."

President Erdoğan issued a message regarding the visit

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a message regarding King Charles III's visit, stating that such a visit is important at a time when Islamophobia and cultural racism are on the rise. In his written statement, Erdoğan recalled that the Cambridge Central Mosque and Complex was opened for worship 7 years ago and praised King Charles's sensitivity toward people of different cultures and faiths living in peace.

In his message, Erdoğan conveyed his greetings to the people of England in the person of King Charles III and also stated that they would be pleased to host the King in Turkey.

The construction of the Cambridge Central Mosque was financed by more than 10,000 donations from local and international public institutions, as well as private individuals and organizations, with public and private institutions from Turkey among the primary donors.

The mosque, which opened in 2019 with the participation of President Erdoğan, was awarded a series of architecture and sustainability awards between 2019 and 2021.