New great mosque for Barcelona in historic building on Tibidabo

Three South Asian-British professionals (down from four last time, one having fallen to feminine wiles in the intervening biennium) emerge blinking from the forest at the end of this walk. My God, says one looking down, is that a mosque? And then remembers seeing a photo of it during his physics degree:

The idea seems perfectly reasonable:

• the remaining activities of the Observatori Fabra would be better performed in the mountains or on a cheaper site;
• the observatory would accommodate Barcelona’s rapidly growing Muslim population’s theological necessities in a symbolically visible location;
• reflecting social priorities as a whole, it would still however be dominated by the superbly ridiculous Catholic basilica at the summit of Tibidabo, the vapid municipal fun-fair just below, Norman Foster’s glorious telly tower, and all those trees that don’t get hugged nearly enough;
• its distance from town combined with rising fuel prices might suggest to some of the faithful that the cost of investing in salvation may outweigh any benefits.

Trevor @ 2 June 2008 9:58 AM

Tags: pictures

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