Bright and Early at the Minor Mosque in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

I figured that visiting a mosque is the only thing to do in terms of sightseeing at 8am. The museums that my friend and I wanted to visit would not open until 10am. The Minor Mosque is a new mosque in Tashkent. Construction completed in 2014 before the Eid al-Fitr holiday. It has the capacity of accommodating 2,500 prayers at once. Known as the “White Mosque” in Tashkent, the Minor Mosque lived amply up to its name on the day of our visit. Its white marble exterior exuded an air of holiness. It stood pure, speckless and sparkly under the brilliance of the sun’s early rays. There are two minarets in the height of 38 meters. The structure consists also of two large portals, beautifully decorated with geometric patterns in blue and white, as well as Quran scripts. Although Uzbekistan is not considered fundamentalist, as an Islam country, the faith is well alive and practiced in Uzbekistan. The sinews of faith do bind the cultural fabric of the Muslim majority in Uzbekistan. This fact is seen when we witness the prayers at the mosques in the country. A word must be given here about the name of the mosque. To English speakers one would associate the Minor Mosque with the size of the mosque, and naturally wonders if there is indeed a “grand mosque” or “major mosque” as its counterpart. The Minor Mosque’s name is actually a geographical reference, as this part of Central Asia was known as Asia Minor in the ancient days. The Minor Mosque is, in fact, one of the largest mosques and religious centers in Tashkent and Uzbekistan. When a religious structure has a name that refers to the name of the region, you know it is intended to be a place of significance, and by no means is it “minor” in the common understanding of the word. #uzbekistan #tashkent #islam #mosque #religion #muslim #travel