Turkey is going to fully finance the construction of Crimea’s largest mosque, Crimea's Grand Mufti said on Sunday.

Crimea Autonomous Republic’s Grand Mufti Emir Ali Ablayev said that the Russian administration approved the project, which they had been trying to implement for 10 years, from before Crimea joined the Russian Federation.

The mosque will be constructed in Crimea’s capital, which Crimean Tatars refer to as “Akmescit,” while Russians call it “Simferopol.”

“The worship venue will be built in an area of 2,500 square  meters (26,909 square feet), and, together with the courtyard and the fountain, it will cover 5,000 square meters (53,819 square feet),” Ablayev said, adding that “about 5,000 Muslims will be able to worship at the same time.”

He said that the mosque would be named “The Friday Mosque.”

Ercan Bekar, the owner of the Istanbul-based construction company Erbek Insaat which will build the mosque, said that within days the cornerstone of the mosque would be laid. He said that the construction company has 36 months to build the mosque, but the aim is to finish the construction within 24 months.

Bekar said that the mosque complex would include a “home for the Imam, library, car park, and market center. The project represents Turkish architecture,” Bekar said.

The Crimean Grand Mufti said “Turkey’s Presidency for Religious Affairs provided every kind of support for the implementation of this project, which will be Crimea’s largest Mosque. Turkey will fully finance the construction of the Mosque.”

The Grand Mufti said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, former President Abdullah Gul, and the Head of Presidency for Religious Affairs Mehmet Gormez have helped the project to receive approval first from Ukrainian authorities, and then from the Russian authorities.

The Crimean Autonomous Republic was annexed by the Russian Federation in March 2014.

Source: World Bulletin