Nur Ghasyr mosque

Nur Asyr Mosque — a Central Regional mosque located in the city of Aktobe. Construction of the mosque began in April 2006 and was completed in September 2008. In the same year it was inaugurated together with the laying of the foundation stone by the President of the country N.A. Nazarbayev.

Now it is one of the attractions of the city of Aktobe. The chief imam of the Nur Asyr Mosque is Ospan Tolebi Dadiluly.

Opening

For this purpose, the regional public foundation “Aktobe Mosque” was established in 2005, and the design of the mosque was commissioned. A 3‑hectare plot was allocated from the center of the city of Aktobe for the “Nur Asyr” Mosque. In the house of God not only a prayer hall and ablution facilities were planned, but also lecture halls for the madrasa, a dormitory for students, a library, a computer room, a Quran recitation room, a wedding hall, and a 300‑person dining hall for charity meals. Construction of the mosque began in 2006. Residents of the region and the city, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or even religious affiliation, actively participated in the construction. From the beginning of 2005 to 1 January 2009, a total of 1 901 452 769,56 tenge was collected for the construction. Thanks to such public support, the construction of the “Nur Asyr” Mosque was completed in two and a half years. On 22 September 2008, the sacred Ramadan ceremony marked the formal opening of the mosque.

Size

The “Nur Asyr” Mosque has four floors. On the first floor there is a dining hall, a men’s and women’s ablution area, and dormitories for the madrasa; on the second floor there are the mosque’s imams, madrasa lecture halls, a library, a computer room, a wedding hall and a Quran recitation room; on the third floor there is the men’s prayer hall, and on the fourth floor the women’s prayer hall. The prayer halls have carpets covering 1 180 square metres, imported from Turkey. The main dome of the mosque has a height of 40 m, a diameter of 20 m, and an interior area of 500 square metres. The height of 40 m for the dome signifies that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) received prophethood at the age of 40. The mosque has four minarets, each 63 m high, representing the age of the Prophet (pbuh) at his death. The four minarets symbolize the four major books revealed by God and the unity of the four schools of thought. In addition to the main dome, each of the four minaret tops has a small dome and a finial. In total there are five domes and five finials, representing the five main pillars of Islam. The domes and finials of the mosque are covered with gold. The mosque’s façade is made of white and green marble, and the small domes and finials placed on it are also gilded.

In the mosque’s mihrab and the inner part of the dome, Quranic verses are depicted in mosaics decorated with gold. The mosaics were made in Italy. The largest chandelier in the prayer hall is 7.5 meters long, 5.5 meters wide, and weighs 3 tonnes. It is made of 294 lamps and 12,000 crystal glasses. Inside the mosque, 32 large, 94 small, and 42 brass lamps are hung. All were made in the Czech Republic. Two elevators are operational.

The interior and exterior of the mosque, its columns, floors, and stairs are covered with multicolored marble and grayish granite. In front of the mosque there is a water fountain and a flowered square, and at night projectors and lanterns illuminate the surroundings. The construction used 2,200 tonnes of reinforced steel rods, 12,000 cubic meters of concrete, 2,500 square meters of granite, 7,000 square meters of marble, 25 tonnes of water‑based and other paints, and 36 kg of saline and saline‑like gold.

Full information

During Friday and Eid prayers, the mosque can accommodate about 4,000 people worshipping freely, and in summer it can allow up to 10,000 people to prostrate in prayer.

At the opening ceremony of the mosque, the presidents of the two friendly countries – Kazakhstan and Russia, N.A. Nazarbayev and D.A. Medvedev, and Kazakhstan’s Chief Mufti, Sheikh Absattar Khaizi Derbisauli, participated and congratulated the people with their joy. The religious leader gave a blessing.

Thus the opening ceremony of the “Nur‑gasyr” mosque became a historic event in our public life.

Reference

http://e-islam.kz/qazaqstan-meshitteri/item/85-nur-gasyr Archived on 24 March 2017.