A meeting between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and the Supreme Mufti of the Republic took place in the central mosque of Astana

February 26, 2024. Astana. The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, at the invitation of the Supreme Mufti of the Republic of Nauryzbay Taganuly Otpenov, visited the cathedral mosque of the capital - the largest mosque in terms of capacity in Kazakhstan and Central Asia and the sixth largest in the world.

The archpastor was accompanied by the dean of the capital's parishes, Archimandrite Sergius (Karamyshev).

Nauryzbai Kazhy Taganuly gave Metropolitan Alexander a tour of the mosque building, which opened on August 12, 2022 with the participation of top officials of the state. As the chairman of the Muslim Spiritual Administration said, the mosque was built on a land plot of 10 hectares, the total capacity is 235 thousand people: 30 thousand men and 5 thousand women can pray in the halls at the same time; 200 thousand people - in specially designated areas, in the open air. The Supreme Mufti drew the archpastor's attention to the scale of the structure, architectural features, external and internal decoration, noting that the four minarets of the mosque have a height of 130 meters, the height of the large dome is 83.2 meters, and the diameter is 62 meters. According to Nauryzbay Otpenov, a special atmosphere in the interior of the central prayer hall is created by a crystal chandelier with a diameter of 27 meters, weighing 20 tons, and carpeting with Kazakh patterns, made in New Zealand from one hundred percent wool.

The Supreme Mufti showed the Metropolitan the classrooms, conference hall, wedding hall, Koran reading room, television studio, offices, museum and stores of literature and ritual accessories located in the mosque building.

During the conversation, the Head of the Metropolitan District thanked the Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan for the detailed tour, shared his good impressions of what he saw, noting the convenience and functionality of the interior design and the presence of not only majestic halls for prayer, but also a large number of rooms for various educational activities.

The meeting participants talked about the relevance of the textbook words of the country's leadership, that the spiritual life of Kazakhstan is like a flight over the expanses of the Great Steppe of a large bird, one wing of which is Hanafi Islam, and the other is Orthodox Christianity. According to interlocutors, the construction of mosques and the construction of Orthodox churches is a visible embodiment of the most important achievements of sovereign Kazakhstan - interethnic peace, interethnic harmony, respect for the centuries-old history and rich culture of the country.

Nauryzbai Kazhy Taganuly informed Metropolitan Alexander that in 2023, 88 new mosques were opened in the Republic, major repairs were carried out in 353 mosques, currently there are 2854 mosques and 357 prayer halls throughout the country and 294 mosques are under construction.

The Supreme Mufti announced the creation of a Youth Council under the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, which is designed to unite qualified specialists from various fields in order to intensify work with representatives of the younger generation.

Nauryzbai Otpenov shared with the archpastor the joyful news of the transfer to the museum at the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassaui in Turkestan of the Koran, which belonged to a prominent historical figure of the Kazakh people - Khan of Kenesary. According to the Supreme Mufti, a sacred book with a two-century history was discovered in one of the foreign collections, after which private patrons helped return the relic.

Metropolitan Alexander told Nauryzbay kazhy Taganuly about the life of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, which this year celebrates the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Astana and Alma-Ata diocese. The hierarch shared plans to bring to Alma-Ata a famous shrine - the miraculous image of the Queen of Heaven "Healer" - to Alma-Ata for the celebration of the memorable date, and to the city of Astana - an ark with the relics of the blessed old lady Matrona of Moscow. The Metropolitan noted that preparations have now begun for the celebration in 2025 of the 50th anniversary of the blessed death of Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) and the 225th anniversary of the birth of the first archpastor of the Turkestan diocese, the “apostle of the Great Steppe” - Archbishop Zephaniah (Sokolsky). The head of the Metropolitan District emphasized that, as part of the celebration of memorable dates, scientific, educational, educational, cultural and youth events will be held in all dioceses of Kazakhstan.

The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and the Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims discussed various aspects of religious life in the Republic. An exchange of views took place on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.

Metropolitan Alexander invited Nauryzbai kazhy Taganuly to visit the spiritual and cultural center of the Metropolitan District named after Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius in Astana and get acquainted with the exhibitions of the church museum dedicated to the sufferers for the faith of the twentieth century.

At the end of the meeting, which took place in a warm atmosphere, the participants presented each other with memorable souvenirs.