Russian and East European Studies
The Nur-Astana Mosque (Kazakh: Нұр-Астана мешіті, Nur-Astana meşiti), is a mosque located in the city of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. It is third largest mosque in Central Asia. The 40-meter (131-foot) height symbolizes the age of the Prophet Muhammad of when he received the revelations, and the height of the minarets are 63 meters (207 foot), the age Muhammad was when he died.
The mosque is located at the left riverbank in the city of Astana, construction first started in March 2005. The mosque was a gift in accordance with the agreement of the Kazakhstan President, Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa. It has a capacity of 5,000 worshippers inside the mosque, including 2,000 for worshippers outside the mosque. The structure is made of glass, concrete, granite and alucobond measures.
