Members of Jamieu Kaabatullah reopened their newly renovated mosque at the start of this week in Aberdeen.

The mosque, originally, was built to accommodate 400 worshippers in 2012. However, the growing number of worshippers tasked elders and stakeholders of the mosque to strategise ways to upgrade and expand the mosque.

Narrating the history of the mosque and early Muslim Aberdeen settlers, Alpha Bushra Cole noted that the Jamaat started from a land accorded to them at Kincardine Street by the Davies family who were the predominant land owners of the community in 1800s.

He said the Aku Muslim community in Aberdeen also donated lands for cemeteries on Johnson Street and the ‘Pkapaordun’ praying field on Sir Samuel Lewis Road which has been used as Eid praying field since the 1800s to present day.

Cole also noted that the first erection of Jamieu of Kaabatullah was a bamboo structure on Cape Road but was later transferred to Herbert Street.

He said the first modern structure was put up in 1990 but because of financial difficulties it was only finished in 2012 and Alhaji Mohamed Zanunu Deen was made Imam of the mosque.

He said the mosque started facing dilapidation as the roof started leaking.

Cole said the Jamaat later tasked three members including Alhaji Mohamed Babatunde Cole, Alhaji Issa Thomas and Alpha Babatunde Sesay who championed the new reconstruction plan.

He added that the renovation was done by Centurion Engineering, the same engineering firm that constructed the ultramodern Engineering Building at Fourah Bay College.

The reopening ceremony was attended by the Vice-President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Chief Imam of Jamiatul Haqq in Fourah Bay, Dr. Ramadan Jalloh and several other high Muslim dignitaries in the country.