Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque
| Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque | |
|---|---|
Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Metjidi (Turkmen) | |
.jpg) | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Gypjak, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan |
 Interactive map of Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque | |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque |
| Style | Islamic |
| Completed | 2004 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 10,000 people[1] |
| Minaret | 4 |
| Minaret height | 91 m (299 ft) |
| Materials | white marble |
Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque (Turkmen: Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Metjidi), or Gypjak Mosque,[a] is a mosque in Gypjak, Turkmenistan and the resting place for Saparmurat Niyazov, the leader of Turkmenistan from 1985 to 2006.[2] The mosque is located about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the capital, Ashgabat, on the M37 highway.
Overview
The mosque, constructed by the French company Bouygues, was built in the home town of President Saparmurat Niyazov. It opened on 22 October 2004, and was built by Nyýazow with a mausoleum in preparation for his death. Nyýazow died two years later, and was buried in the mausoleum on 24 December 2006.
The mosque has been at the center of controversy as text from both the Quran and Niyazov's Ruhnama (The Book of the Soul) have been carved/built into the walls and the books themselves are displayed side by side, even as the practice was stopped for all other mosques in Turkmenistan after Niyaov's death by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. The Mosque can currently accommodate upto 10,000 congregants. Many Muslims consider the implied equality of the Quran and the Ruhnama as blasphemous and heretical, especially devout mosquegoers.[3][4]
Reconstruction
The major modernization of the mosque with a capacity of 10 thousand people was carried out in 2024. The mosque was opened after reconstruction in September 2024.[5]
See also
Notes
- ^ Also spelled Kipchak Mosque.
References
- ^ Corley, Felix (4 January 2005). "TURKMENISTAN: 2004, the year of demolished mosques". Forum 18 News Service. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- ^ Koch, Natalie (3 October 2016). "The 'Personality Cult' Problematic: Personalism and Mosques Memorializing the "Father of the Nation" in Turkmenistan and the UAE". Central Asian Affairs. 3 (4): 330–359. doi:10.1163/22142290-00304002 – via Brill.
- ^ Door to the Kipchak Mosque Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque Atlas Obscura (www.atlasobscura.com). Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- ^ [1]
38°1′4″N 58°15′10″E / 38.01778°N 58.25278°E