Saparmurat Hajji Mosque

The Saparmurat Hajji Mosque (Turkmen: Saparmyrat Hajy metjidi) is a mosque in Gökdepe, Turkmenistan. It was built between 1994 and 1995, during the rule of President Saparmurat Niyazov. It was erected in memory of defenders of the adjacent Gökdepe Fortress (see Battle of Geok Tepe). It is a prominent landmark in Gökdepe with its blue dome and four minarets.[1]

Saparmurat Hajji Mosque
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Location
LocationGökdepe, Turkmenistan
Geographic coordinatesN 38.16212
E 57.96729
Architecture
Architect(s)Kakajan Durdyev
TypeMosque
StyleIslamic
Completed1995
Specifications
Capacity8000
Minaret(s)4
Minaret height63

History

Ashgabat architect Kakajan Durdyyev designed the structure. The mosque was opened in 1995 and named in honor of President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov's pilgrimage to Mecca during the Hajj in 1992. The French company Bouygues built the mosque in one year.[2]

In 2008, Turkish firm SUR Turizm Inşaat Ticaret ve sanayi LTD STI renovated the mosque, and additionally designed and built ritual banquet facilities with capacity of 1,000 guests plus the Gökdepe National Museum located on the mosque's grounds. The contract included landscaping of the surrounding territory. The cost of reconstruction plus building the banquet hall and museum was cited as $34 million.[3]

Overview
Saparmurat Hajji Mosque featured on 10,000 manat banknote.

The mosque has capacity for 8,000 worshipers. Its main characteristics are its sky-blue dome surrounded by four lower blue half domes. Its four minarets are 63 meters high to represent the age at which the Prophet Muhammad died.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Archnet". archnet.org. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-08-08. Retrieved 2013-11-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Мечеть Сапармурата хаджи в Геоктепе будет реконструирована - Интернет-газета Turkmenistan.Ru". www.turkmenistan.ru. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  4. "Beautiful Mosques Around The World". beautifulmosques.com. Retrieved 21 July 2018.

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