Akhmad Kadyrov Mosque, Central mosque in Grozny, Russia

The Akhmad Kadyrov Mosque is an Ottoman-style Islamic house of worship in Grozny, Russia, distinguished by white marble facing and four tall minarets flanking a central dome. Inside, the prayer hall opens onto thousands of square meters, offering space for thousands of faithful who gather for communal prayer.

Construction began in April 2006 and the mosque opened on 17 October 2008, named after Akhmad Kadyrov, the first president of the Chechen Republic. It stands on the site of Grozny's former Presidential Palace, destroyed during the First Chechen War. The design follows Istanbul's early seventeenth-century Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and the opening ceremony was attended by Ramzan Kadyrov and Vladimir Putin.

The interior paintings were done by Turkish masters using the Chechen "bustam" ornament, with gold powder for the Quranic verses and pigments meant to hold their colour for at least 50 years. The 36 chandeliers, made by the Turkish firm USTUN AVIZE with Swarovski crystals, echo three Islamic holy sites: 27 follow the Dome of the Rock, 8 the Green Dome of Medina, and the largest, 8 metres across, the Kaaba.

The mosque stands on the bank of the Sunzha River inside a 14-hectare park, with several fountains, alleys and rest areas on the grounds. The prayer area covers 5,000 square metres and holds over 10,000 people, and the adjoining summer gallery and square take as many again. The building was designed for increased seismic resistance.

The 36 chandeliers are shaped after three holy sites of Islam: 27 follow the Dome of the Rock, 8 the Green Dome of Medina, and the largest, 8 metres across, the Kaaba. They were made by the Turkish firm USTUN AVIZE from several tonnes of bronze, 2.5 kg of gold and over a million parts, with Chechen ornament.