SHALI, Russia -- The foundations for a massive new mosque have been laid in the town of Shali in Russia's Chechen Republic in the North Caucasus.
The mosque will bear the name of the republic's leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, and will accommodate 10,000 worshippers.
Kadyrov attended the ceremony on December 2, along with other top Chechen officials.
The chairman of the Islamic Clerics' Council, Khozh-Akhmed Kadyrov, said at the ceremony that the mosque is being built "due to numerous requests from the Chechen Republic's citizens."
The Ramzan Kadyrov Mosque was designed by architects in Uzbekistan.
Its construction is expected to take three years.
The mosque will bear the name of the republic's leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, and will accommodate 10,000 worshippers.
Kadyrov attended the ceremony on December 2, along with other top Chechen officials.
The chairman of the Islamic Clerics' Council, Khozh-Akhmed Kadyrov, said at the ceremony that the mosque is being built "due to numerous requests from the Chechen Republic's citizens."
The Ramzan Kadyrov Mosque was designed by architects in Uzbekistan.
Its construction is expected to take three years.