Mosque in a box?

A Paris imam and part-time inventor creates a portable mosque to help faithful concentrate better on their prayers.

PARIS: A Paris imam and part-time inventor has created a portable mosque to help the faithful concentrate better on their prayers wherever they are.

Named the Mirhbox, the 2 meter high structure when deployed takes the form of a mirhab, a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Qibla.

"I realized that when I'm in the mosque, I concentrated better at my prayers more than when I am at home. So I thought of recreating the mirhab which creates a better environment for meditation in isolation," Aubervilliers Imam Hassen Bounamcha told Le Parisien newspaper.

Made from rigid cardboard, polystyrene, plywood or plastic, reinforced with two layers of aluminum, the modular structure in three parts also comes with a Turkish rug.

Priced from 450 euros for a top-range model that includes a built-in loudspeaker, to 69 euros for a children's model, Bounamcha said he hoped to sell at least a thousand within a year and has already sold the patent in several countries.