In Ashgabat I visited the Ertuğrul
Gazi Mosque (correct spelling), also called Asadi Mosque, which had been
inaugurated in 1998. The name reminds us of the Turkmenian clan chief Ertuğrul
Gazi, who founded the Ottoman Empire and then called himseld Osman. The mosque
has been build with an outside of white marble, which is corresponding to the
rest of Ashgabat – all buildings have to show white marble on the outside, as
the president wishes it to be so. It has four minarets and a prominent central
dome. It has been designed after the example of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. 5000
worshippers would find space in the mosque, but you know how people are, as workers
died during the construction, people think this calls for bad luck to the
worshippers and therefore only few people are in the mosque. So much the better
for a tourist like myself, as I don’t like disturbing worshipping people.
... and a detail of one of the minarets
Detail of the exterior
Detail of the courtyard
The mihrab, which indicates the qibla (direction of the Kaaba in Mecca) is on the right sight of the picture.
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