Description of the attraction
The Abdul Rahman Mosque is known as the Great Mosque of Kabul. This is one of the largest Muslim religious buildings in Afghanistan. It is located in one of Kabul's commercial districts, Deh Afganan, near Pashtunistan Square and across the street from the once popular Plaza Hotel.
The building of the Abdul Rahman mosque consists of three parts, located on 1.42 hectares of land. One floor of the building is for women only. The mosque is named after the influential Afghan businessman Haji Abdul Rahman, who died before he could complete construction, but his sons continued the project. The mosque building was designed by the Afghan Mir architect Hafizullah Hashimi.
The construction of the mosque began in 2001, but was postponed for several years due to the so-called "red ribbon". "Red ribbon" is an idiom that denotes bureaucratic delays in regulation or strict compliance with formal rules. However, the main work on the mosque was completed at the end of 2009. The official opening took place only in July 2012. It was attended by former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and many other high-ranking officials.
Today the mosque can host up to 10,000 people at a time. Inside the mosque there is a madrasah and a library with a collection of 150,000 books.
