Moskee van Naarden

The 19th and 20th centuries saw a wave of Islamic-inspired architecture across Europe and North America. Known as Neo-Moorish or Moorish Revival, the style borrowed the arches, domes, and ornamentation often seen in Middle Eastern architecture. You can see this style in Dresden, where the former Yenidze Cigarette Factory is often mistaken for a mosque. The Dutch city of Naarden is also home to a former cigarette factory built in the Neo-Moorish Style, which has been nicknamed the “Mosque of Naarden.”

The former Palazzo Cigarette Factory is over a century old, completed in 1916. Designed by J.P.W. Breling, the building was said to reflect the “oriental character” of the cigarette. The building’s white plaster facade has a recessed front door with an onion-shaped skylight.

The factory has since closed, and different businesses have occupied its former space. Though the building has been renovated over the years, it has retained its distinctive style.