Located in Education City in Doha, Al-Mujadilah is a religious, educational, and social center for Muslim women. Conceived by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who presides the Qatar Foundation (QF), and designed by the New York firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), the 4,600-square-meter complex fuses tradutional architectural elements with a contemporary language.

The building is organized under a vast undulating roof on which 5,500 small perforations let nuanced daylight in, and whose overhangs shade outdoor spaces. A larger hole marks the location of the central courtyard, where two olive trees stand.

An 875 column-free prayer hall can take in 750 worshippers. An asymmetrically curving wall harbors the mihrab – indicating the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca – and the minbar, the pulpit from which the imam delivers Friday sermons. The monumental woollen carpet, also designed by DS+R, combines tradition and modernity through a pixel pattern that covers the whole space.

During Ramadan, the capacity of the place increases to 1,300 thanks to a carpet spread in the multipurpose space, equipped with modular furniture, dividers, and a retractable platform. Glass-walled classrooms for 15-30 people surround this zone to reinforce the project’s educational component.