Astana

Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan. It is located on the Ishim River in the north portion of Kazakhstan, within Akmola Region, though administrated separately from the region as the city with special status. The 2014 census reported a population of 835,153 within the city, making it the second-largest city in Kazakhstan. Founded in 1830 as the settlement of Akmoly, it served as fortification of the Siberian Cossacks. In 1932, the settlement was granted a town status and renamed Akmolinsk. On 20 March 1961, the city was renamed to Tselinograd to mark the city's evolution a cultural and administrative center of the Virgin Lands Campaign. In 1992, it was renamed Akmola, the modified original name meaning "a white grave". On 10 December 1997, Akmola replaced Almaty to become the capital of Kazakhstan. On 6 May 1998, it was renamed Astana, which means "the capital" in Kazakh.

Nur-Astana Mosque

The Nur-Astana Mosque, is a mosque located in the city of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. It is the second largest mosque in Kazakhstan and in Central Asia. The 40-meter (131-foot) height symbolizes the age of the Prophet Muhammad of when he received the revelations, and the height of the minarets are 63 meters (207 foot), the age Muhammad was when he died. The mosque is located at the left riverbank in the city of Astana, construction first started in March 2005. The mosque was a gift in accordance with the agreement of the Kazakhstan President, Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa. It has a capacity of 5,000 worshippers inside the mosque, including 2,000 for worshippers outside the mosque. The structure is made of glass, concrete, granite and alucobond measures.