Moslem Group to Construct Mosque in Radcliffe Vicinity

A site for the Harvard Islamic Society's mosque has been selected in "the vicinity of Garden Street," Bakhtiyar Ali Khan '59, secretary of the Society, announced recently.

According to Khan, construction of the building should start next fall, and it is believed that the Aga Khan, who is expected to return to Harvard next year to complete his senior year, will preside over groundbreaking ceremonies at that time.

The Society, Khan said, hopes that the mosque will be completed within a year, although it would be possible, he felt, to finish building within eight months under favorable circumstances.

Purchase price of the property, located near Radcliffe, and construction costs for the mosque will be jointly paid for by Aga Khan IV '58 and Sadruddin Aga Khan '54. While the actual cost of construction was not disclosed, Khan estimated that the final figure would be somewhere between $100,000 and $300,000.

Although an architect has not yet been selected, plans currently call for the new mosque to include prayer facilities, a small library, and a center for Islamic religious festivals. The Islamic Society currently holds services for its one hundred members in Phillips Brooks House.

The new mosque will be considerably smaller than the Washington, D.C., mosque, but Khan felt that the Islamic Society would receive advice on architects and design from the Washington Moslem group.