In the CityIn the CityPhoto: Davide Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Snow-white with turquoise domes and four slender minarets, the mosque is noticeably more modest in size than Khazret Sultan, but for many years it was the main mosque of the new capital and remains one of the most elegant buildings on the left bank. Inside is a spacious prayer hall and a separate women's gallery on the second floor, which can accommodate almost two thousand people.
The mosque was built between 2002 and 2005 with funds from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani — as a gift to the country in recognition of President Nazarbayev; it was designed by Lebanese architect Charles Hafiz and built by Turkish company Pasiner. The mosque opened on March 22, 2005, during Nauryz. Its original name, "Nur-Astana," is still commonly used by locals, though in November 2021 the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan officially renamed it in honor of the medieval thinker Abu Nasr al-Farabi. The dome is 43 meters high, the minarets are 62 meters high, and the capacity is 5,000 people.