Hazret Sultan Mosque (Astana)
One of the largest mosques in Central Asia, in white marble with gold-trimmed domes.
About
The mosque is a large building of white marble, with a central dome, several smaller domes and four tall minarets. Gold-coloured details catch the sun, and the mosque looks especially fine against a blue sky or when lit in the evening.
Inside is a vast prayer hall under a high dome, decorated with fine patterns and calligraphy, and the courtyard and gardens around can hold thousands of people. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times if they dress modestly.
History
The mosque was built between 2009 and 2012 and is named after Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the twelfth-century Sufi poet and teacher who is often called Hazrat Sultan, meaning the holy sultan, in the Turkic world. It was designed to be the country’s main mosque in the new capital, drawing on traditional Islamic architecture and on the shape of Central Asian domes, and it is considered among the biggest in Central Asia. The building can hold thousands of worshippers, with a large prayer hall and a wide courtyard for major festivals. Its design brings together Kazakh, Islamic and modern elements, from the colour of the marble to the pattern work inside. The mosque stands near the Palace of Independence and the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, so a visit can be combined with other sights in the capital. It is used daily for prayers and for religious festivals such as Eid.