The huge Turkmenbasy Mosque

The Gypjak Mosque, named after the village near Ashgabat where it stands, is one of the largest in Central Asia and can accommodate over 10,000 worshippers under its enormous dome.

It is built of white marble and topped by a huge golden dome visible from afar. On the columns there are inscriptions: some are taken from the Quran, others from the Book of the Soul written by Turkmenbashi himself. Just a few meters from the mosque is Turkmenbashi’s mausoleum, where his family is buried.

Perhaps the most beautiful mosque I have ever seen, along with the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.Read more