| Seoul Central Mosque | |
|---|---|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 서울 중앙 성원 |
| Hanja | 서울 中央 聖院 |
| Revised Romanization | Seoul Jung-ang Seongweon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏul Chungang Sŏngwŏn |
The Seoul Central Mosque opened in 1976 in Itaewon, Seoul. It is located in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu. It holds lectures in English, Arabic, and Korean. Friday (Jummah) prayers regularly attract up to 800 worshipers at 1pm, the majority of them being of Arab, Indian, Pakistani or Turkish descent. As the only mosque in Seoul, it has become somewhat of a tourist attraction for Koreans to visit on weekends to hear talks given on Islam. The mosque has been subject to a handful of incidents, most notably when men armed with swords entered the mosque, which consequently required the police to protect the mosque for a number of months following the incident.