Grand Mosque of Makhachkala

The Grand Mosque in Makhachkala is the main mosque of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. It is supposed to have been patterned after the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul. The building can accommodate up to 17,000 worshipers. Its construction was financed by Turkey. The mosque was completed and consecrated in 1998. It is the focal point of the city's main thoroughfare, Imam Shamil Avenue.

The construction of the mosque was started in 1991 thanks to the financing of one of the wealthy Turkish families. The Blue Mosque in Istanbul was taken as a model. The grand opening took place in 1997. The first imam was the Turk Hafiz Aydin.