Istanbul: Turkey's largest mosque formally opens doors

By Murat Paksoy and Mucahit Turetken

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey will officially inaugurate on Friday the country's largest mosque to date, located on a hill overlooking the Bosporus Strait running through Istanbul.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived before weekly Friday prayers at the Camlica Mosque Complex, capable of housing 63,000 worshippers.

Albanian President Ilir Meta, Guinean President Alpha Conde, Senegalese President Macky Sall and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh were present at the ceremony, along with several other international representatives.

Built in the Ottoman-Seljuk style of architecture, the mosque is readily visible from across the city.

Aside from the mosque, the premises contain a museum of Turkish Islamic art as well as a library, gallery, conference hall and several workshops.

It sports six minarets representing six key aspects of Islamic belief. Four of them are 107.1 meters tall, a tribute to the Seljuk Turks' victory in eastern Turkey at Manzikert in 1071 against the Byzantine army which opened Anatolia to Turkish settlement.

Its central dome hangs 72 meters above the ground, representing the 72 nations living in the city. The second dome -- with a diameter of 34 meters -- represents Istanbul's official license number.

Sixteen names of Allah are inscribed on the inner walls of the dome, symbolizing the number of states founded by Turks throughout history.

A three-piece finial sits on the main dome, weighing 4.5 tons and at a height of 7.77 meters and is the largest of its kind.

On the mosque floor, a specially designed 17,000-square-meter hand-woven carpet has been rolled out upon which sits the 21-meter minbar, a pulpit where sermons are delivered on Fridays and religious festivals.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas