Turkmenbashy Ruhy Mosque in Kipchak (the largest mosque in Central Asia).

The President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurad Turkmenbashi, placed the construction of this particularly important State commission in the hands of a renowned French company, Bouygues.

This contractor has already built a large number of prestigious works throughout the world. Among others, it is worthwhile mentioning: Riyadh University in Saudi Arabia, the famous Orsay Museum in the heart of Paris and the Grande Arch de la Defense which has become the symbol of a modern France, as well as the Frangois Mitterrand National Library, the Hassan II Great Mosque in Casablanca, the Hong Kong Congress Centre, the Sydney metro and motorways in a number of countries across the world. And finally, in Ashgabat, Bouygues has already built the Guek-Depe mosque, the Turkmenbashi Palace and the Ruhyet Palace.

The French architects responsible for the design of Turkmenistan’s Great Mosque chose not to use the traditional Ottoman style and placed emphasis on the particularities of Turkmen architecture present in Turkmenistan’s historic monuments. Having made several modifications concerning the building’s base, Saparmurat Turkmenbashi approved the design. According to the President, the country’s most majestic mosque should appear to float over the ground.

The prayer room can simultaneously hold 10,000 pilgrims – 7,000 men and 3,000 women (the women have a room exclusively for their use on the second level). All conditions are brought together for believers. A powerful ventilation system controls the temperature in the prayer room and, in the winter, a heated floor system is used. The prayer room is covered by an immense 215 m2 carpet reproducing the eight-branched star of Oghuz-Khan. This commission, which represented a great honors, was woven by the carpet weavers of Serdar.