Omar bn El Khattab Mosque

Omar bn El Khattab Mosque sits at a discreet address on Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, a short walk from Place de la République and the Belleville boulevard. Unlike the Grand Mosque of Paris, whose minaret rises above Boulevard Saint-Germain, this one blends into the neighbourhood behind a plain façade. It is an everyday mosque, used by the residents of the 11th and 20th arrondissements, and a landmark for the Muslim community of north-eastern Paris for several decades already.

Getting there

Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud runs from Place de la République to the Belleville boulevard. The closest métro stations are Couronnes (line 2), a five-minute walk away, and Parmentier (line 3), about seven minutes away. Belleville, at the crossing of lines 2 and 11, and Ménilmontant on line 2 are also reachable on foot with a small detour. Bus lines 46, 75, 96 and 20 serve the adjoining streets. Several Vélib' stations sit along the street and the boulevard for visitors on a bike.

The neighbourhood

The northern 11th and the western 20th form one of the most mixed districts in Paris. On Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, a single block combines Chinese garment workshops, Kabyle cafés, halal butchers, Turkish grocers, activist bookshops and independent art galleries. The mosque fits into this diversity without imposing itself. It serves the locals first, rather than a stream of tourists or passers-by.

That local base explains much of its identity. Friday prayer brings together shopkeepers, workers, retirees and students who live or work within a ten-minute walk. Many worshippers know the mosque through their parents or grandparents, some of the first North African families to settle in Belleville during the 1960s and 1970s.

The community

The mosque bears the name of the second caliph of Islam, Omar ibn al-Khattab, a major figure of the founding period. It welcomes Muslim visitors from any background. That said, the languages you will hear most inside are Maghrebi Arabic, Turkish and French. Community life shapes the weeks: Arabic classes for children and adults, Quranic study circles and evening breaking-of-the-fast meals during Ramadan.

Practical advice for a visit

The mosque is first and foremost a place of prayer. Sightseeing is not encouraged. It is better to come outside the busiest hours, ideally avoiding Friday noon, and to wear clothes covering shoulders and legs. Shoes come off before entering the prayer hall, women cover their hair, and quiet is expected as in any working mosque.

Unlike the Grand Mosque of Paris, there is no courtyard, no tea room and no restaurant on site. For a tea after prayer, a five-minute walk down to the Belleville boulevard leads to several Algerian and Tunisian cafés open all day.

Around the mosque

A ten-minute walk away, the Parc de Belleville offers one of the finest panoramas of the capital: the hill drops in terraces to a wide balcony overlooking the Eiffel Tower and the rooftops of Paris. The Belleville street market, Tuesday and Friday mornings, is among the busiest and cheapest in the city. Père-Lachaise cemetery lies twenty minutes on foot to the east. Rue Oberkampf, lined with cafés and bars, extends Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud towards the south.

Other mosques in Paris

Paris has dozens of mosques, from major institutional landmarks to neighbourhood prayer rooms. The Grand Mosque of Paris, in the 5th arrondissement, remains the most visible and best known to visitors. Other entries will gradually enrich this directory as their data is checked and completed.