Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s Mosque (Stockholm Mosque)
On Södermalm, a former power station turned toward Mecca now serves as Stockholm’s largest mosque, its Art Nouveau shell hiding a long and contested civic story.
At a glance
Known formally as Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s Mosque, the building sits at Kapellgränd 10 beside Björns trädgård. It opened in 2000 after two decades of debate over where Stockholm’s Muslim community should worship. The Islamic Association in Stockholm administers the site today.
History
Sites from Norrtull to Tensta were floated before a decision came in March 1995. The city council, after consulting Muslim leaders, chose Katarinastationen, a disused electric power station. Built in 1903, it was already listed. Protests and appeals delayed matters. Construction only began in 1999. The mosque opened on 8 June 2000, funded by Swedish and international donors, chief among them Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s founding president, for whom it is named.
What you see
Ferdinand Boberg designed the original station. He had travelled to Morocco. That trip shaped the result. Boberg oriented the structure toward Mecca and gave it tall, vaulted windows recalling Moorish forms, long before any religious use was intended. The Art Nouveau fabric of 1903 therefore anticipated its later purpose almost by coincidence. Inside, the hall can hold 2,000 worshippers, alongside a library, gym, lecture halls, café and a large kitchen.
Cultural significance
The mosque functions as a civic hub as much as a place of prayer. Community groups including Islamic Relief and Muslim Youth of Sweden operate from its premises. Officials from the Prison and Probation Service and the Public Employment Service have referred people here. Yet the building has also drawn controversy: disputed sermon translations, a 2003 conference featuring Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Rashid Ghannouchi, a 2005 antisemitic-tapes investigation, and a 2013 Femen protest have each tested the mosque’s public standing. These episodes mark it as a site where Swedish debates over integration, free speech and religious authority have repeatedly played out.
Key facts
- Location: Kapellgränd 10, Södermalm, Stockholm
- Original building: Katarinastationen, completed 1903
- Architect: Ferdinand Boberg (Art Nouveau)
- Sold to Islamic Association in Stockholm: 1996, for SEK 8 million
- Inaugurated as a mosque: 8 June 2000
- Capacity: approximately 2,000 worshippers
Practical information & getting there
You will find the mosque on Södermalm, an easy walk or transit ride from central Stockholm. Björns trädgård, the small park next door, offers a quiet place to pause first. Check the mosque’s own website before visiting, since access and events tied to prayer times can vary.
Sources & resources
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