FarewellFire
IMG_8899
The Kipchak Mosque, Turkmenistan
Opened two years before the death of Saparmurat Niyazov, this mighty mosque is a very impressive sight for sure. Next to it lies the tomb where Niyazov in 2006, on Christmas Eve, was put to his final rest. The tomb is like a miniature version of the mosque, built in white marble. From a small balcony you look down on the tomb, which is flanked by two other resting places. Compared to what I saw at the mausoleum in North Korea it was both tasteful and non-vulgar.
Anyway, back to the mosque. Walking inside the huge dome sure made me kind of small, especially since no one else (surprise) was around. It is simply huge, reportedly one of the biggest of its kind in the world.
The huge carpet on the floor is handmade and on the ceiling are quotes from Niyazovs epic piece Ruhnama, which originally was published in 2001 to give "spiritual guidance to the nation". Actually the quotes from the Koran are way outnumbered to the words from the Ruhnama which have lead to criticism from the Muslim world who obviously aren´t big fans of the words of God being up there next to the words of Türkmenbaşy.
Speaking about God and the Ruhnama - according to the Los Angeles Times Niyazov publicly stated on national television in March 2006 that he´d made a deal with God that any student who read the book at least three times was guaranteed a spot in heaven. It was also later sent out into space.
Awesome.
IMG_8899
The Kipchak Mosque, Turkmenistan
Opened two years before the death of Saparmurat Niyazov, this mighty mosque is a very impressive sight for sure. Next to it lies the tomb where Niyazov in 2006, on Christmas Eve, was put to his final rest. The tomb is like a miniature version of the mosque, built in white marble. From a small balcony you look down on the tomb, which is flanked by two other resting places. Compared to what I saw at the mausoleum in North Korea it was both tasteful and non-vulgar.
Anyway, back to the mosque. Walking inside the huge dome sure made me kind of small, especially since no one else (surprise) was around. It is simply huge, reportedly one of the biggest of its kind in the world.
The huge carpet on the floor is handmade and on the ceiling are quotes from Niyazovs epic piece Ruhnama, which originally was published in 2001 to give "spiritual guidance to the nation". Actually the quotes from the Koran are way outnumbered to the words from the Ruhnama which have lead to criticism from the Muslim world who obviously aren´t big fans of the words of God being up there next to the words of Türkmenbaşy.
Speaking about God and the Ruhnama - according to the Los Angeles Times Niyazov publicly stated on national television in March 2006 that he´d made a deal with God that any student who read the book at least three times was guaranteed a spot in heaven. It was also later sent out into space.
Awesome.