Prayer Times in Paris

About Prayer Times in Paris

Paris and its wider Île-de-France region are home to approximately 1.7 million Muslims, the largest Muslim community in Western Europe in a single metropolitan area. Islam first arrived in France in significant numbers through North African immigration during the twentieth century — today, French Muslims are predominantly of Maghrebi (Algerian, Moroccan, Tunisian) heritage, alongside significant West African and Turkish communities. Islam is the second-largest religion in France after Christianity.

French mosques generally follow the Muslim World League method (Fajr and Isha at 18° solar depression) or the UOIF / CFCM recommendations. Paris's latitude of 48.9°N creates challenging prayer schedules: in June, astronomical twilight persists all night, making a "true" Isha astronomically undefined. Scholars and mosque federations typically apply a midnight rule or a fixed-interval approximation in these months. In winter, Fajr can be as late as 7:15 AM while Maghrib falls before 5:00 PM, compressing the daytime prayer windows significantly.

The Grande Mosquée de Paris, inaugurated in 1926 and located in the 5th arrondissement, is a historic monument and the oldest major mosque in France. Built in Hispano-Moorish style, its courtyard and minaret are a familiar sight in the Latin Quarter. The Mosquée d'Évry-Courcouronnes in the Paris suburbs is the largest mosque in France by capacity. During Ramadan, Paris's Muslim communities organise large public Iftar gatherings — some in prominent civic spaces — that have become part of the city's multicultural calendar.