The Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque stands in Gypjak, 4.3 miles (7 km) west of Ashgabat on the M37 highway. Saparmurat Niyazov, leader of Turkmenistan, built it in his hometown, and the French company Bouygues was the builder. It opened on October 22, 2004. It holds 10,000 people, and its four white marble minarets are 299 feet (91 m) high.
A mausoleum was built beside it for Niyazov, who was buried there on December 24, 2006. Passages from the Quran and from Niyazov's book Ruhnama are carved into the walls, and both books are displayed side by side. The article says many devout Muslims consider this blasphemous.
After his death, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow stopped the display of the Ruhnama beside the Quran in other mosques, but not here. A major modernization reopened the mosque in September 2024.
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