Usandan-ro Muslim city

Officially opened in 1976, the Seoul Central Masjid remains the only mosque in the city. In its splendid myriad of blue and white ceramic tiles, the mosque has become the center of the Usandan-ro area and attends to the several onlookers curious about its architecture and culture. Full of halal delicacies, the Middle Eastern neighborhood has catered to a Muslim population that is estimated to be at 200,000 and growing. More recently, there has been a surge of interest from young Koreans in the area. Just in the past few months, LGBT bookstore Sunny Books, the club Moloko Plus as well as a small number of cafés and studios have opened up on the street making for a more diverse demographic of people in the area. Islamic or not, Middle Eastern or otherwise, who could say no to lunching on kebabs and having baklava for dessert?