In the CityIn the CityPhoto: t_y_l, CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Hazret Sultan greets visitors from afar with four minarets and an enormous turquoise dome—the largest in Kazakhstan. Inside, there is spaciousness and serenity: the main prayer hall can accommodate 5,000 worshippers, and on major holidays, when additional spaces are opened, the mosque can hold twice that number. This is an active Friday mosque, not a museum, so it's worth checking prayer times in advance if you simply wish to view the interiors.
The mosque was constructed from June 2009 to 2012 and opened on July 6, 2012. The name was proposed by first president Nursultan Nazarbayev—"Hazret Sultan" ("Most Holy Sultan") is one of the epithets of the Sufi sheikh Ahmad Yasavi, whose mausoleum stands in Turkestan. The height of the four minarets is 77 meters, the dome reaches 51 meters in height with a base diameter of 28.1 meters, and the total area of the complex exceeds 11 hectares.