Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, yesterday inaugurated Dushanbe’s Central Cathedral Mosque named after Imam Abu Hanifa Al-Nu'man bin Thabit, according to the Tajik president’s official website.
They reportedly unveiled the plaque marking the inauguration, in the square of the mosque. After that, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani toured the mosque, the cultural building, the library, and the educational departments inside the center, which aims to contribute to the consolidation of Islamic and educational values.
Emomali Rahmon extended thanks to HH the Emir for inaugurating the mosque and to HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, recalling that it was agreed to build the mosque with the support of the State of Qatar, in previous visits during the reign of HH the Father Amir.
It is the joint project of Tajikistan and Qatar and according to international practice, the official opening ceremony must take place with the participation of both parties.
The mosque was expected to officially open in August 2020, but the official opening ceremony was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Qatar’s DAR Investment & Development L.L.C was the general developer and Tajikistan’s STS-Inshoot was general contractor. Besides, seven sub-contractors have participated in construction of this mosque.
This US$100 million project has been implemented under direct control of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. The Persian Gulf State of Qatar has reportedly put up 70 percent of the cost of the project, with Tajikistan raising the rest.
President Emomali Rahmon began construction of the mosque not far from downtown Dushanbe in October 2011, a month after officially raising the country’s flag on a 165-meter flagpole in Dushanbe.
Tajik leader demonstrated a hidden skill when he took control of an excavator to start digging the foundation for the building.
Dushanbe’s Central Cathedral Mosque is located in the area of 12 hectares and in addition to the prayer halls the Mosque also features library, museum and social halls.
The mosque is reportedly able to accommodate 133,000 worshipersб of which 43,000 will be located inside the mosque, and the rest around it.
Critics are saying the mosque is an extravagance and that the money would be better spent on poverty reduction.
It was supposed that Dushanbe’s Central Cathedral Mosque will be Central Asia’s largest mosque. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan constructed and officially opened the Central Asian largest mosque in Astana on August 12, 2022. Kazakhstan’s first president Nursultan Nazarbayev attended the inauguration of the mosque, which was timed to coincide with 24th anniversary of the city’s foundation.
The Astana mosque spans an area of almost ten hectares, and is topped by a 90-meter central dome and eight smaller domes. The mosque surrounded by four minarets with 130 meters in height each.
The white structure took three years to build and is reportedly large enough to accommodate up to 235,000 worshipers.
