Ummah in Seoul: The Creation of Symbolic Spaces in the Islamic Central Masjid of Seoul

This study begins with the discovery of the outstanding regional and cultural diversity manifest in Seoul's Islamic Central Masjid (Seoul Mosque). Seoul Mosque's cultural diversity is not limited to the ethnic composition of its Muslim population at Friday collective prayer. Seoul Mosque's construction process, its architectural structures and facçades, and the hidden or exposed decorations of the building, include elements from a number of Islamic countries. To understand why and how this remarkable diversity was incorporated into Seoul Mosque's design, this article analyzes the history of its construction in detail.