Bab al-Islam Mosque

The Bab al-Islam Mosque is a mosque in Tacna, Peru. It is the only such Peruvian place of worship that is an example of Islamic architecture in the country, though it is not the only such building. It is the largest place of worship for Muslims in the entirety of the Department of Tacna. Prayers are offered in both Spanish and Arabic.

History

It was built by Pakistanis who had arrived to Peru as merchants in the 1990s and were importing used cars from Japan and the United States with permission from the erstwhile Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori. The Pakistani community in Tacna grew to 95 people by 1995 and further to 500 people by the beginning of the 21st century. The complex was founded in 2000, and construction was completed by 2008. Imam Mohammad Usman was head of the Bab al-Islam Mosque in 2015.