Turkey to build the largest European mosque in Bucharest

Turkey plans to build the largest mosque from a European Capital in Bucharest, Romania, which is to be completed within three years. Under an agreement signed between Turkish and Romanian authorities, Turkey will allocate land for the construction of a church by Romania in Istanbul, Turkish Daily Sabah informs.

The mosque was on the agenda of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, who paid a visit to Bucharest in April.

The mosque, which will be built in an area of 13,000 square meters, will have a capacity of 2,000 people. The Romanian government approved the allocation of the land for 49 years for mosque building in one of the central districts of Bucharest. The land is located on Expozitiei Boulevard, near Romexpo.

The mosque will address the needs of some 100,000 Muslims living in the Balkan country, as it will also house a complex with a library, a Quran teaching school and recreational facilities. It will have the characteristics of Ottoman-era architecture.

The funds are provided by the Turkish state, with estimated costs mounting to EUR 3 million.

Bucharest already has 10 buildings used as mosques, but the new site will be the first genuine mosque, while the others were mostly buildings converted into mosques.

The biggest mosque in Romania so far is the one in Constanta, with its construction initiated in 1910. It was the first steel concrete building in our country. Constanta mosque was inaugurated in May 1913 in the presence of King Carol I and Queen Elisabeta.