Chechnya, Russia
Coordinates: 43.317817, 45.693885
The Akhmad Kadyrov Mosque is located in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.
It is one of the largest mosques in Russia and is officially known as “The Heart of Chechnya”
The mosque is named after Akhmad Kadyrov, the mufti of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and the first president of the Republic of Chechnya, who commissioned its construction from the mayor of Konya.
The mosque design with a set of 62-metre- tall minarets is based on the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul.
On October 16, 2008, the mosque was officially opened in a ceremony in which Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov appeared and spoke with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
The mosque is located on the picturesque bank of the Sunzha River in the middle of a huge park (14 hectares) and is part of an Islamic architectural complex, which in addition to the mosque, consists of the Russian Islamic University, Kunta-Haji, and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Chechnya.
The area of the mosque is 5000 square meters and has a capacity of more than ten thousand people.
The same number of the faithful can pray in the mosque adjacent to the gallery and the area of summer.
As a basis of architecture used in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
It is considered to be one of the main landmarks in Grozny. It is the main mosque, during ramadan the rich people in Grozny offers food for everyone in the big park in front of the mosque.
Structure and design
Gold of the highest quality were deposited to produce the writing patterns displaying verses from the Quran.
There are in total 36 chandeliers. Their forms remind of the three holiest sites of Islam – 27 of them imitating the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount compound, 8 are made in the appearance of the Green Dome in Medina’s Masjid al-Nabawi and the biggest one measuring 8 meters in length and width, mimicking the Kaaba in Mecca.
It took several tons of bronze and 2.5 kg of the highest quality of gold to create the chandeliers containing more than a million pieces and made of selectively designed Chechen ornaments and Swarovski crystals from Turkey.
Calligraphy displaying verses from the Quran are skillfully woven into the overall pattern of the architectural decoration of the mosque.
The main dome is inscribed with Surah 112 “al-Ikhlâs”: “Say: He is Allah, the Single, Indivisible – Allah, the Eternal, Absolute. He begets not nor is He begotten – And there happens to be not a single one equal to Him.”
Know This
It is located next to the Grozny City Hotel.
Dresscode for men:
Long pants is a must. Long sleeves not necessary but appropriate.
Dresscode for women:
Wear a long skirt/dress, fully cover your legs. Wear long sleeves. Fully cover your arms. Wear a scarf which hides all your hair. You cannot show hair. If you don’t have these accessories, you can borrow a wide dress at the entrance and wear it over your clothes.
