Shah Jahan Mosque

The Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking is the first purpose-built mosque in Britain (and in Northern Europe), completed in 1889. It was founded by the Hungarian-British Orientalist Dr Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner as a place of worship for students of his nearby Oriental Institute, and was funded by Nawab Shah Jahan Begum, the ruler of the princely state of Bhopal, after whom the mosque is named. It was designed by the architect William Isaac Chambers in a late Mughal style, built of Bath and Bargate stone with a central dome, two miniature minarets and a courtyard. The building is now a Grade I listed building — the only Grade I listed mosque in the United Kingdom.

After Leitner's death the mosque fell into disuse, before being revived in the early 20th century. From around 1912 it became a notable centre of Islam in Britain associated with the Woking Muslim Mission, and hosted what is often described as the first public Eid al-Fitr celebration in the UK in 1922. Over the decades it attracted many prominent visitors and converts, including Lord Headley and Marmaduke Pickthall. Control of the mosque returned to a Sunni administration in the 1930s.

Today the mosque is operated as a registered charity, "Woking Mosque Fund and Sir Salar Jung Memorial House" (Charity No. 241402), and serves as the focal point of worship for the local Muslim community in Woking. It offers the five daily prayers and Friday Jummah congregations, with prayer halls for men and a dedicated women's prayer hall. The site, which was extensively renovated around 2017, includes the original small historic mosque, larger modern prayer halls, a multipurpose community hall, an Islamic-themed garden and ghusl facilities for funeral preparation.

Alongside worship, the mosque runs religious education classes (madrasah) for children and adults, arranges marriage and funeral services, undertakes community fundraising, and provides guided tours for schools and visitor groups as part of its interfaith and educational work promoting understanding of Islam.