Mosque to be built in shape of plane in tribute to Jordan’s executed pilot

In the city of Karak, the hometown of the Jordanian pilot who was burned alive in a cage by the Islamic State group following his capture at the end of December, a grandiose and unique mosque is being built in his honour.

Muaz al-Kasasbeh’s death prompted Jordan to take a more active role in the United States-led anti-IS coalition, and secured the general support of the kingdom’s population who at had initially been wary of - even hostile to - Jordan's participation in a bombing campaign. 

The mosque will be inspired by the shape of a military plane, as a tribute to Kasasbeh.

The construction of the mosque, which will boast 3,600 square metres in total area, is financed by Jordanian businessman Jabr al-Ramahi and will cost approximately one million Jordanian dinars ($1,410,000).

Buthaina al-Tarawneh, the architect who designed the project, said that the mosque would be a new cultural landmark in the Karak governorate, adding that the idea of a new mosque in light of certain events represent a blend between modernity and Islamic architecture.

The minarets of the mosque will be built in a new way that will still be in accordance with Islamic architecture, with Quranic verses on the exterior of the walls.

The main hall and prayer area of the mosque will be 1,000 square metres. There will also be a women’s prayer area, in addition to a building dedicated to the Quran Preservation Society.

Construction will take a full year, Tarawneh said.