Hazrat Sultan Mosque, Astana

One of the most modern attractions of Astana, the young Kazakhstan capital, is the Hazrat Sultan Cathedral Mosque. The construction of this largest mosque in Central Asia took as long as 3 years and was inaugurated in July 2012. The colossal building resembles an oriental palace, whose construction involved over 1,500 builders and masters, who with joint efforts created the most beautiful landmark of Astana.

“Hazrat Sultan” is translated as “Apostolic Sultan”. The mosque was named in honor of one of Sufi sheikhs – Khoja Ahmed Yassawi (the XII century), who was a poet, philosopher and Muslin saint, well-known in the territory of whole Central Asia. The mausoleum of this saint is located in Kazakh city of Turkestan.

The Hazrat Sultan, as one of the largest mosque in Asia, occupies the area of 11 ha, able to house up to 10,000 people. The mosque premises area amounts to 17.8 ha and includes tabernacles, a hall for wedding ceremonies, rooms for Koran reading and having lessons for seminarians, as well as a cloakroom and аn ablution room. Thus, this is a fully functional mosque corresponding to all modern requirements.

The mosque dome is 51 meters in height and 28 meters in diameter. The main dome is surrounded by eight small ones, at the mosque corners there are four 77 m-high minarets. The Hazrat Sultan minaret was built in a classic oriental style, the main color of the façade and interior design is white. The Central Hall is supported by massive white columns, which enhance the sense of monumentality of this structure. The façade and inner finishing are abound with traditional Kazakh ornaments. The Hazrat Sultan Mosque is a new piece of work of architectural art of Kazakhstan and a diamond in the Astana panorama.