From here, you can see more clearly the intricate design of the carpet. Almost every wall inside Astana's Grand Mosque is covered in carvings, mosaics or gold. The swirling patterns seen on the ...

The simplest mosque would be a prayer room with a wall marked with a “mihrab” – a niche indicating the direction of Mecca, which Muslims should face when praying. A typical mosque also ...

One’s eyes are certainly drawn upward when you step inside the Blue Mosque, but when you look down, you’ll find floors lined with wall-to-wall carpet—an essential for Muslim prayer.