Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival

architectural style An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...

s that were adopted by architects of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

in the wake of Romanticist

Orientalism In art history, literature, and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects of the Eastern world (or "Orient") by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. Orientalist painting, particularly of the Middle ...

. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th century, part of a widening vocabulary of articulated decorative ornament drawn from historical sources beyond familiar classical and Gothic modes. Neo-Moorish architecture drew on elements from classic Moorish architecture and, as a result, from the wider

Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...

In Europe

The "Moorish" garden structures built at Sheringham Park in Norfolk, ca. 1812, were an unusual touch at the time, a parallel to chinoiserie, as a dream vision of fanciful whimsy, not meant to be taken seriously; however, as early as 1826,

Edward Blore Edward Blore (13 September 1787 – 4 September 1879) was a 19th-century English landscape and architectural artist, architect and antiquary. Early career Blore was born in Derby, the son of the antiquarian writer Thomas Blore. Blore's backg ...

used Islamic arches, domes of various size and shapes and other details of Near Eastern Islamic architecture to great effect in his design for Alupka Palace in

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

, a cultural setting that had already been penetrated by

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is an architectural style or tradition that developed under the Ottoman Empire over a long period, undergoing some significant changes during its history. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century an ...

. By the mid-19th century, the style was adopted by the

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

, who associated Moorish and

Mudéjar Mudéjar were Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period following the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for Mudéjar art, which was greatly influenced by Islamic art, but produced typically by Christian craftsmen for C ...

architectural forms with the Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain. It has also been argued that Jewish communities adopted this architecture (which in Western eyes was seen as stereotypical of "Islamic" or " Oriental" culture more broadly) for more complex reasons; mainly, as an affirmation or reclamation of the Middle Eastern roots of their history and thus as a way of setting themselves apart from the surrounding Western or Christian society. This came at time when Jews were gaining more freedoms in some European societies and the construction of ostentatious synagogues was possible for the first time, thus provoking a search for a new distinct style of architecture. Historian John M. Efron of the University of California at Berkeley regards the popularity of Moorish revival architecture among builders of synagogues as a counterpoint to

Edward Said Edward Wadie Said (1 November 1935 – 24 September 2003) was a Palestinian-American academic, literary critic, and political activist. As a professor of literature at Columbia University, he was among the founders of Postcolonialism, post-co ...

's ''Orientalism'', which criticizes European

orientalism In art history, literature, and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects of the Eastern world (or "Orient") by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. Orientalist painting, particularly of the Middle ...

as inherently imperialist and racist, since the builders chose the style as an expression of admiration for the culture of the Muslim world. As a consequence, Moorish Revival spread around the globe as a preferred style of synagogue architecture for a long period until the early 20th century. In Spain, the country was conceived as the place of origin of Moorish ornamentation, and the interest in this sort of architecture fluctuated from province to province. The mainstream was called Neo-Mudéjar. In

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí i Cornet ( , ; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalans, Catalan architect and designer from Spain, widely known as the greatest exponent of Catalan ''Modernisme''. Gaudí's works have a style, with most located in Barc ...

's profound interest in

heritage governed the design of his early works, such as Casa Vicens or Astorga Palace. In Andalusia, the Neo-Mudéjar style gained belated popularity in connection with the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It was epitomized by Plaza de España of Seville and the Gran Teatro Falla in

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

. In

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, the Neo-Mudéjar was a characteristic style of housing and public buildings at the turn of the century. In contrast, the 1920s return of interest to the style resulted in such buildings as the bullring of Las Ventas and Diario ABC office. A Spanish nobleman built the Sammezzano, one of Europe's largest and most elaborate Moorish Revival structures, in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

between 1853 and 1889. Alhambra Frederiksberg 2

Although Carlo Bugatti employed Moorish arcading among the exotic features of his furniture, shown at the 1902 exhibition at

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, by that time the Moorish Revival was very much on the wane almost everywhere. A notable exception was

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

, where the shell-encrusted Morozov House in Moscow (a stylisation of the Pena Palace in Sintra), the Neo-Mamluk Dulber palace in Koreiz, and the palace in Likani exemplified the continuing development of the style.

In Hungary

In the Balkans

Another exception was Bosnia, where, after its occupation by Austria-Hungary, the new authorities commissioned a range of Neo-Moorish structures. The aim was to promote Bosnian national identity while avoiding its association with either the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

or the growing pan-Slavic movement by creating an "

of European fantasy". This included application of ornamentations and other Moorish design strategies neither of which had much to do with prior architectural direction of indigenous Bosnian architecture. The central post office in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, for example, follows distinct formal characteristics of design like clarity of form, symmetry, and proportion while the interior followed the same doctrine. The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo is an example of Pseudo Moorish architectural language using decorations and pointed arches while still integrating other formal elements into the design. Other notable example in the region is the building of the Regional historical museum in

Kardzhali Kardzhali ( , ''Kărdžali''; ), sometimes spelt Kardžali or Kurdzhali, is List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, a town in the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria, centre of Kardzhali Municipality and Kardzhali Province. The noted Kardzhali Reservoir is ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

build in the 1920s, combining also Central Asian styles.

In the United States

In the United States,

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

's fanciful travel sketch, '' Tales of the Alhambra'' (1832), first brought Moorish Andalusia into readers' imaginations; one of the first neo-Moorish structures was Iranistan, a mansion of P. T. Barnum in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

. Constructed in 1848 and destroyed by fire ten years later, this architectural extravaganza "sprouted bulbous domes and horseshoe arches". In the 1860s, the style spread across America, with Olana, the painter

Frederic Edwin Church Frederic Edwin Church (May 4, 1826 – April 7, 1900) was an American landscape painting, landscape painter born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters, best known for paintin ...

's house overlooking the Hudson River, Castle Garden in

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

and Longwood in

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...

usually cited among the more prominent examples. After the American Civil War, Moorish or Turkish smoking rooms achieved some popularity. There were Moorish details in the interiors created for the Henry Osborne Havemeyer residence on Fifth Avenue by

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is associated with the art nouveauLander, David"The Buyable ...

. The most thorough example of Moorish Revival architecture was Villa Zorayda in St. Augustine, Florida, built in 1883 by Franklin W. Smith as a winter home and showplace for the Boston businessman and architectural enthusiast. Today it is a museum, open for tourists. In 1893, The Great Saltair was built on the southern shores of The Great Salt Lake, adjacent to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

. Under dozens of Moorish domes and lambrequin, polylobed, and keyhole arches, Saltair housed popular clubs, restaurants, bowling alleys, a hippodrome, rollercoaster, observation deck for the surrounding desert, and what was marketed as the largest dance hall in the world. Like Iranistan before it, Saltair was destroyed by fire in 1925 and again in 1970; the first of which, less than 30 years after opening. The trend continued into the early 1900s, for example in the 1909 Murat Shrine Temple in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. The 1914 Pittock Mansion in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

incorporates Turkish design features, as well as French, English, and Italian ones; the smoking room in particular has notable Moorish revival elements. In 1937, the Corn Palace in

Mitchell, South Dakota Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census making it the List of cities in South Dakota, sixth most populous city in South Dako ...

added unusual minarets and Moorish domes, unusual because the polychrome decorations are made out of corn cobs of various colors assembled like mosaic tiles to create patterns. The 1891 Tampa Bay Hotel, whose minarets and Moorish domes are now the pride of the University of Tampa, was a particularly extravagant example of the style. Other schools with Moorish Revival buildings include David H. Zysman Hall at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

in New York City. George Washington Smith used the style in his design for the 1920s Isham Beach Estate in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

In India

* Spanish Mosque, built by Viqar-ul-Umra at

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

In Saudi Arabia

* Al Rajhi Grand Mosque, built by Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al Rajhi in

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

in 2004.

Theaters

In the United States

Around the world

Synagogues

Europe

* Munich synagogue, by Friedrich von Gärtner, 1832 was the earliest Moorish revival synagogue (destroyed on Kristallnacht) * Semper Synagogue, by Gottfried Semper, Dresden, 1839–1840 (destroyed on Kristallnacht) * Leopoldstädter Tempel, Vienna, Austria, 1853–1858 (destroyed on Kristallnacht) * Dohány Street Synagogue, Budapest, Hungary, 1854–1859 * Leipzig synagogue, 1855 (in the Gottschedstrasse, destroyed on Kristallnacht in 1938) * Glockengasse synagogue, Cologne, Germany, 1855–1861 (destroyed on Kristallnacht) * New Synagogue by Eduard Knoblauch, Berlin, 1859–1866 * New Synagogue, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland, 1857–1860 * Tempel Synagogue, Cracow, Poland, 1860–1862 * Cetate Synagogue, Timişoara, Romania, by Ignaz Schumann, 1864–1865 * Choral Temple,

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, 1864–1866 * Zagreb Synagogue, 1867 * The Great Synagogue of Stockholm, Sweden, by Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander, 1867–1870 * Synagogue of Besançon, France, 1867–1870 * Spanish Synagogue,

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic, 1868 * Rumbach Street synagogue, Budapest, Hungary, 1872 * Czernowitz Synagogue,

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also #Names, other names) is a city in southwestern Ukraine on the upper course of the Prut River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of Bukovina, which is now divided between Romania and Ukraine, Chernivt ...

, Ukraine, 1873 * Great Synagogue of Florence, ''Tempio Maggiore'', Florence, Italy, 1874–1882 * Princes Road Synagogue,

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England, 1874 *

Manchester Jewish Museum The Manchester Jewish Museum is a Jewish museum, Jewish history museum, located on Cheetham Hill Road in Manchester, England. The museum occupies the site of a former Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, Jewish synagogue, the place of worship ...

, built as a

Sephardic Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

synagogue,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England, 1874 * Vercelli Synagogue,

Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...

, Italy, 1878 * Vrbové synagogue, Vrbové, Slovakia, 1883 * Turin synagogue, Italy, 1884 * Synagoge Zürich Löwenstrasse, Switzerland, 1884 * Great Synagogue in Plzeň,

Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...

, Czech Republic, 1888 * The Grand Choral Synagogue,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, Russia, 1888 * Esztergom Synagogue, Hungary, 1888 * Fabric New Synagogue in Timişoara, Romania, by Lipot Baumhorn, 1889 * Rosenberg synagogue, Olesno, Poland, 1889 (destroyed on Kristallnacht in 1938) * La Ferté-sous-Jouarre synagogue, France, 1891 * Hollandse Synagoge,

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, Belgium, 1893 * Second Luxembourg Synagogue,

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, 1894 * Great Choral Synagogue (Kyiv), Ukraine, 1895 *

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

synagogue, Czech Republic, 1895 * Olomouc Synagogue,

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

, Czech Republic, 1897 (destroyed in 1938) * Prešov synagogue,

Prešov Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...

, Slovakia, 1898 * Košice synagogue,

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

, Slovakia, 1899, interior of Rundbogenstil building * Malacky synagogue, Slovakia, 1886, rebuilt 1900 * Sarajevo Synagogue, 1902 * Karaite Kenesa,

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, Ukraine, 1902 * Palazzo Mazzone,

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

, Sicily, Italy, 1904 * Jubilee Synagogue, Prague, Czech Republic, 1906 * Groningen Synagogue, Groningen, Netherlands, 1906 * Choral Synagogue, Minsk, Belarus, 1906 * Bet Israel Synagogue, Belgrade, Serbia, 1908 * Sofia Synagogue, Sofia, Bulgaria, 1909 * Galitska Synagogue, Kyiv, Ukraine, 1909 * Uzhhorod Synagogue,

Uzhhorod Uzhhorod (, ; , ; , ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality on the Uzh, Uzh River in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistan ...

, Ukraine, 1910 * Leucatia Castle, Catania, Sicily, Italy, 1911 * Chișinău Choral Synagogue, Moldova, 1913 * Arabian House (Hotel Jadran)

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

, North Macedonia, 1936–1938

United States

* Isaac M. Wise Temple, also known as the Plum Street Temple, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1865 * Congregation Rodeph Shalom, Philadelphia, 1866 (no longer standing) * ''Temple Emanu-El'' on Fifth Avenue at 43rd Street, Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York built in 1868, designed by Leopold Eidlitz, assisted by Henry Fernbach, (no longer standing) * B'nai Sholom Temple,

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ) is a city in Adams County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Mississippi River, the population was 39,463 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 40,633 in 2010. The Quincy, Illinois, mic ...

, 1870 * Central Synagogue, Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York, 1872 * Vine Street Temple,

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, Tennessee, 1874 * Charter Oak Temple (Congregation Beth Israel),

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, 1876 * Temple of Israel,

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

, 1876 *

B'nai Israel Synagogue (Baltimore) B'nai Israel Synagogue is a Modern Orthodox synagogue located in the historic Jonestown neighborhood, near downtown and the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. The synagogue is one of the oldest synagogue buildings in ...

, Maryland, 1876 * Temple Adath Israel, Owensboro, Kentucky, 1877 * Prince Street Synagogue (Oheb Shalom,) Newark, New Jersey, 1884 * Eldridge Street Synagogue, Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York, 1887 * Congregation Beth Israel of Portland, Oregon, 1888 (no longer standing) * Park East Synagogue, Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York, 1889 * Gemiluth Chessed, Port Gibson, Mississippi, 1891 * Temple Emanu-El (Helena, Montana), 1891 * Temple Beth-El, Corsicana, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas, 1898–1900 * Temple Sinai (Sumter, South Carolina), 1912 * Young Israel of Flatbush, Midwood, Brooklyn, 1923 * Ohabei Shalom,

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...

, 1925 * Congregation Ohab Zedek, Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York, 1926 * Congregation Rodeph Shalom, Philadelphia, 1928

Latin America

* Sephardic Temple, Barracas district, Buenos Aires, Argentina * Palacio Arabe, downtown

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...

, Argentina, 1945

Churches and cathedrals

* The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity,

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

(1825–1832) an early example of Moorish revival architecture is located in Gibraltar, which formed part of Moorish

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

between 711 and 1462 AD. * Immaculate Conception Church (New Orleans), (a.k.a. Jesuit Church) is a striking example of Moorish Revival Architecture. Across the street was the College of the Immaculate Conception, housing a chapel with two stained glass domes. The chapel was disassembled and about half of it (one of the stained glass domes, eleven of the windows) was installed in the present Jesuit High School. * St Andrew's Church, is an

Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. Consecrated in 1905, the church is within the Archdeaconry of Gibraltar. The building is constructed in a Moorish revival architectural style.

Shrines and temples

The Shriners, a fraternal organization, often chose a Moorish Revival style for their Temples. Architecturally notable Shriners Temples include: * Acca Temple Shrine, Richmond, Virginia, currently Altria Theater, formerly 'The Landmark Theater' and 'The Mosque' * Algeria Shrine Temple, Helena, Montana * Almas Temple, Washington D.C. * El Zaribah Shrine Auditorium, Phoenix, Arizona * Jaffa Shrine Center,

Altoona, Pennsylvania Altoona ( ) is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, w ...

* Jerusalem Temple, New Orleans, Louisiana, built at 1137 St. Charles Avenue in 1918 by architect Emile Weil. * Medinah Temple, Chicago, Illinois now a Bloomingdale's. *

Murat Shrine The Old National Centre, formerly known as the Murat Shrine Temple and the Murat Shrine Center, is located at North and New Jersey streets in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is owned by the Murat Shriners of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of ...

, Indianapolis, Indiana, the largest Shrine temple in North America, now officially known as Old National Centre. *

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama, and the New York City Center 55th Street Theater) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street (Manhattan), 55th Street between Sixth Avenue, Six ...

, now used as a concert hall *

Shrine Auditorium The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, an ...

, Los Angeles, California * Tripoli Shrine Temple, Milwaukee, Wisconsin * Zembo Mosque, a Masonic Temple in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * The Scottish Rite Temple in Santa Fe, New Mexico, while not a Shrine Temple, is a Masonic building that uses the Moorish Revival architectural style. * Karem Shrine Temple, Waco, Texas; now Hotel 1928

Other buildings

* Building of the Regional historical museum in

, 1922–1930 * Palace of Manguinhos, site of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1905–1918 * "Mosque" shaped steam-generation plant in Sanssouci Park, Potsdam, Prussia, 1842 * The Zacherlfabrik, Vienna, 1892 * City hall, Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1892 * City hall,

, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1894 * Jewish Hospital,

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, Ukraine, 1900 * Mostar Gymnasium, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1902 * Former Yenidze Cigarette Factory, Dresden, Germany, 1908 (here, the "minarets" are used to disguise smokestacks) * Gedung Sate, Bandung, Indonesia, 1924 * Casamaures, Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux, France, 1855 * Villa Zorayda, St. Augustine, FL, 1883 * Campo Pequeno bullring, Lisbon, 1892 * Henry B. Plant Museum, Tampa, FL, 1891 * Karlo Helmbold's House (Šeherezada), Zrenjanin, Serbia, by Ištvan Bart, 1900 * Atwater water treatment plant, Canal de l'Aqueduc, Montreal, QC, 1912–18 * Scroll and Key Hall (Yale senior society building, New Haven, CT; 1869 and 1901) * Palacio de Valle in Cienfuegos,

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

(1913–17) * The Citadel, a military college in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

Gallery

File:BarroneImmaculateOct07Lowfasc.jpg, Immaculate Conception Church (New Orleans), 1851, rebuilt 1930 File:Leopoldstädter Tempel 1858.jpg, Leopoldstädter Tempel, Vienna, Austria, 1858 File:Spanish Synagogue.jpg, Spanish Synagogue (Prague), Czech Republic, 1868 File:Firenze synagoga 2009.JPG,

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

synagogue, Italy, 1882 File:Turin Synagogue 1.JPG,

synagogue, Italy, 1884 File:Fabric Synagogue in Timisoara Romania.jpg, Fabric New Synagogue in Timişoara, Romania, 1889 File:Old Tampa Bay Hotel.jpg, Tampa Bay Hotel,

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, 1891 File:Grand Choral Synagogue of SPB.jpg, The Grand Choral Synagogue, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1893 File:PilsenSynagogue.JPG, Great Synagogue,

, Czech Republic, 1893 File:Church of Our Lady of Victory of Tétouan.jpg, Tétouan Catholic Church, built during the Spanish protectorate in Morocco, and still active today Image:Castelo fiocruz panoramico (cropped).jpg, The Palace of Manguinhos in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil File:Likani Palace.JPG, Likani Palace, Georgia, 1895 File:Dulber Palace.JPG, Dulber, Koreiz,

, 1897 File:Moscow Vozdvizhenka Morozov House 08-2016.jpg, Arseny Morozov House,

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Russia, 1899 File:Šeherezada.jpg, Karlo Helmbold's House (Šeherezada) by Ištvan Bart in

Zrenjanin Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, 1900 File:Former Jewish Hospital in Lviv, Ukraine.jpg, Former Jewish Hospital in

, Ukraine, 1901 File:Gimnazija Mostar.jpg, Mostar Gymnasium,

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1902 File:Dresden Yenidze2.jpg, Yenidze Tobacco Factory,

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, Germany, 1907 File:Sinagoga Bet Israel.jpg, Bet Israel Synagogue,

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, 1908 File:Синагога Ужгород.jpg, Uzhhorod Synagogue, 1910 File:MoorishSantaFe2.jpg, Scottish Rite Temple,

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, 1912 File:Синагога Смоленск.jpg, Choral Synagogue (Smolensk), 1917 File:Arapska kukja 2015 (5).JPG, Hotel Jadran (Arabian house) in

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

, 1938 File:Praça de Touros do Campo Pequeno September 2014.jpg, Campo Pequeno bullring in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

,1892. File:655070 muzeum w zamku Kórnik (1).jpg, Kórnik Castle, Poland File:Scroll and Key Society building, Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut). Front and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors. Elevation and plans LCCN2013648230.jpg, Scroll and Key Hall; New Haven, Connecticut (Yale senior society building). This is a proposed plan of ca. 1867. Only far left structure was built. File:Kardzhali History Museum, Историчеки музей Кърджали.jpg, History Museum,

, Bulgaria

Notes

Sources

* *

External links

*
Moorish Revival in New York Architecture
{{Authority control Revival architectural styles Orientalism by type House styles 19th-century architectural styles 20th-century architectural styles

In Europe

In Hungary

In the Balkans

In the United States

In India

In Saudi Arabia

Theaters

In the United States

Around the world

Synagogues

Europe

United States

Latin America

Churches and cathedrals

Shrines and temples

Other buildings

Gallery

See also

Notes

Sources

External links