Visiting Turkmenistan Ruhy Mosque

Built in 2004 by Turkmenistan’s first post Soviet leader, Saparmurat Niyazov, or later self named Türkmenbaşy, Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque in Ashgabat is the largest mosque in Central Asia. The vast prayer room can hold 10,000 pilgrims, with 7,000 men on the main floor and 3,000 women on the second level.

Beside the mosque there is a smaller version that is Türkmenbaşy’s family mausoleum. Unfortunately no photos were allowed there because it had some kookie things I wish I could look back more closely at.

During his time of leadership, Türkmenbaşy wrote a new spiritual guide and a kind of origin story for Turkmenistan. One guide told me that after 100 years under Russian control Turkmen people had to be reminded of their culture, values and history, so he created this book for them. The book was called the Ruhnama (The Book of the Soul,) and it was taught in schools and read in homes.

So… when he built this mosque he inscribed the walls of the mosque with verses from both the Quran and the Ruhnama. This, unsurprisingly, outraged many Muslims, who believed that passages from the Quran should be given far more reverence than Niyazov’s modern book of rambling moral guidance, and should not appear alongside each other. Even more incendiary was one particular quotation inscribed prominently on the entry arch to the mosque, which reads "The Ruhnama is the holiest book and the Quran is the book of Allah."

I heard that because of the Ruhnama quotes almost no one attends this mosque for religious services. It exists for tourists like me and use during special events meant to promote Türkmenbaşy’s memory or the current leader’s authority.

Like many things in Turkmenistan it’s for show. Really all I can say is it was very impressive and quite lovely to be almost alone in.