Guide · Plan and finance
Mosque carpet: when to order? The timeline before Ramadan
Advice, committee decision, production, delivery and installation all take time. Plan backwards from the date the carpet should be in place.
A made-to-measure mosque carpet needs several weeks of lead time, and the whole chain from the first enquiry to installation takes longer than production alone. If you want the new carpet in your prayer hall by a particular date, enquire as early as possible. The earlier the committee starts, the calmer the project runs.
Why a made-to-measure carpet takes time
A made-to-measure mosque carpet is not a stock item. Between your enquiry and the finished floor there are several steps: free advice, measuring the room and approving the production measurements, production in your quality and design, delivery with customs handled and finally installation. Some tasks can run in parallel. Before production starts, the necessary decisions and approvals must be in place.
The decision lies with the committee
In most mosques the committee or board decides, and it meets according to its own calendar. If the enquiry misses a meeting, the whole project waits for the next one. If you also run a carpet sponsorship campaign, in which members and families finance parts of the carpet, the collection alone takes weeks. How to set one up is explained in our guide to carpet sponsorship and fundraising.
The measurements must be right
The carpet is made to the measurements you approve in writing. Columns, niches, the mihrab and the qibla direction must be clarified beforehand. Careful work here saves questions later.
Production, delivery and installation
Once approved, the carpet is made to measure. Transport and customs clearance follow. If the goods come from Türkiye, the EU–Türkiye customs union applies within the EU: with an A.TR movement certificate the carpet is exempt from customs duty, but import VAT is still due. For countries outside the EU, duties and taxes are clarified in the quote. Only when the goods have arrived is the old carpet removed and the new one installed. A general delivery time cannot be given. It depends on material, design, area and workload and is stated in the written quote.
The timeline, planned backwards
It is best to plan from the end: fix the date by which the carpet should be in place, then work back through the steps. The table shows who is involved at each step and what matters. We deliberately do not give numbers of weeks here, because they depend on material, design, area and workload.
| Step (from the end backwards) | Who is involved | What matters |
|---|---|---|
| Goal: carpet installed, room inspected | Committee, installers | Inspect in daylight and without rush. Note any defects while the installers are still on site. |
| Installation | Installers, one contact person from the mosque | Plan installation days around prayer times and Friday prayer. Clarify access to the room and the wudu area. |
| Remove the old carpet, check the floor | Mosque, caretaker or specialist firm | Organise disposal. The subfloor must be clean, level and dry. |
| Delivery and customs | Supplier, carrier, mosque | Keep a dry storage space ready and name a person to receive the delivery. |
| Production to measure | Supplier and manufacturer | From here on, changes are no longer possible or only at extra cost. So check everything beforehand. |
| Approval of measurements and design | Committee, adviser | Confirm measurements, pattern, colour and qibla alignment in writing. |
| Committee decision and financing | Committee, treasurer, fundraising team if any | Check the meeting date in the calendar. If you run a sponsorship campaign, allow time for the collection. |
| Advice and quote | Mosque, adviser | Clarify questions and present the quote to the committee. |
| First enquiry | One contact person from the mosque | Send approximate measurements, photos and wishes. Not binding. |
Now: Ramadan 2027 (as of October 2026)
Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on 8 February 2027. The exact start depends on the decision of your umbrella organisation or mosque, so allow a buffer.
As a rule of thumb, the first enquiry should be made as early as possible, ideally by mid-November 2026. The committee decision, production and installation all still have to fit in before Ramadan. This is a guide, not a promise. We confirm binding dates in writing in each quote.
Ramadan moves forward by about ten to eleven days in the calendar each year. So do not go by last year’s date; plan anew each year.
What you need for a quick start
Complete information makes it easier to handle your enquiry. Rough details are enough for the first enquiry, as long as they fit together:
- approximate measurements of the prayer hall (length × width) and a simple sketch
- photos of the room, the mihrab and the current floor
- the qibla direction as your mosque uses it today
- an idea of material and design, or a request for advice
- a contact person on the committee who can reply quickly
- an idea of financing: mosque budget, sponsorship or both
You can send measurements and wishes via the quote form. Photos and sketches can follow by WhatsApp.
Good times of year
There is no month that always works. But there are periods in which changing the carpet fits better with mosque life.
- After Ramadan: after Eid al-Fitr, decision and production can proceed without time pressure, and the room is free again for installation days.
- Before Eid al-Adha: Eid al-Adha 2027 is expected in mid-May. If decision and order are in place before then, installation can fall between the two Eids.
- In summer during renovation or new build: building work is usually easier to plan in summer. The carpet is one of the last trades to go in, once screed, plaster and painting are finished. Here the construction schedule sets the date, not the calendar of festivals.
When not to install
Avoid installation days during Ramadan, at Eid and at Friday prayer. The prayer hall is then at its busiest, and a building site disturbs more than it helps.
In many mosques the room must remain usable on normal days too. The installation can then be planned in sections, for example first the women’s area, then the main hall. Discuss this before ordering. Also ask when the room may be used again after installation.
When time gets short
Do not decide under pressure. If Ramadan can no longer be reached safely, early planning is still worthwhile – for the period after Ramadan or for Eid al-Adha. Take your time to check requirements and quotes carefully instead of deciding only by the earliest date.
As a stopgap, you can have the old carpet professionally cleaned. This can refresh the surface and reduce odours until the new carpet arrives.
You can still send your enquiry now. It is not binding, and the quote helps the committee decide calmly.
