Mosque 'Al Hikma'

Al Hikma, Arabic for ‘the wisdom’, is an Islamic cultural center (no. 34) with a mosque, an extensive range of sports and educational activities, and a kindergarten, primary, and secondary school on Sint-Denijsstraat. Before their arrival, the elongated Art Deco building had a tumultuous history.

It was originally the municipal swimming pool. In the prayer room, the raised and carpeted swimming pool floor is still surrounded by the mezzanine where the changing rooms used to be. In the 1980s, the municipality could no longer bear the financial burden and rented the building to a nightclub operator.

In the early 1990s, conflicts between local residents and nightclub-goers forced the municipality to close it down. The art laboratory Bains Connective gave the unique place a temporary artistic purpose until Al Hikma provided a long-term solution. Visitors are welcomed warmly.

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