GREAT ALMATY MOSQUE

Built in 1999 on the initiative of President Nazarbayev, this mosque is now the city's largest. It can be spotted from afar thanks to its five minarets, the tallest of which reaches 47 m into the sky. But the white tiles enhanced by turquoise mosaics that make up the entire exterior façade are a little disappointing when seen up close, and of course offer nothing truly historic or authentic. Nevertheless, it is one of Almaty's greatest post-independence architectural achievements, most of the construction projects having subsequently benefited the new capital Astana. Entrance is via the iwan, which leads to an impressive octagonal prayer hall topped by a vast turquoise dome 36 m high and 20 m in diameter. It's a brightly-lit room, where the freshness of the marble is maintained by the dome. The dome's exterior decorations are in the Timurid style, using the same shapes and motifs as the domes of the Yessy mausoleum in Turkestan and other similar monuments in Uzbekistan. In particular, the calligraphy features suras from the Koran. These were created by Turkish architects at the turn of the century. To this day, Almaty's central mosque remains the largest in the country, accommodating up to 7,000 worshippers. The mosque compound also houses the religious administration of Kazakhstan's Muslims.