Minaret

The president of the Muslim Association of Greece on Saturday bemoaned the size of the building that is to house Athens's first mosque in the downtown district of Votanikos, saying it looks more like an oversized kiosk.

"Is this the mosque they've been telling us about for so many years?" Naim Elghandour told Thema 104.6 radio on Saturday.

The eight centuries-old Yivli Minaret, which is a landmark and symbol of Turkey's southern tourism capital Antalya, aims to be included in UNESCO's World Heritage list. Click through for the story in photos by Alamy...

Strong wind and rain were accompanied by a thunderstorm. One lightning struck and damaged the minaret on a mosque located in the central parts of the town.

Local media are reporting that nobody was injured, but that the storm caused power outages in some parts of the town.

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The Council of State on Wednesday heard appeals against the construction of a mosque in Votanikos, near central Athens. The appeals have been lodged by a group of 153 residents and a local association.

Some of the residents of Ohrid, a Macedonian lakeside resort famous for its ancient churches, are up in arms about a plan to plant a 32 metre-high minaret over a restored mosque.

The much-troubled project to build a mosque in Athens has suffered another, albeit minor, setback as authorities have indicated that work will be completed in July, a couple of months later than previously expected.

A construction site has been set aside for the mosque planned to be constructed on Istanbul's Taksim Square, on an area that has been used as a waiting point for riot police.

Containers were brought to the area, which was cordoned off early on Feb. 9, after Istanbul's cultural protection board on Jan. 6 approved the plan to construct the mosque. 

Istanbul's cultural protection board on Jan. 6 approved a plan to construct a mosque in the city's main Taksim Square. 

The controversial plan has been in the works for decades and was previously objected to as it was ruled to be against public benefit. 

The angle of an 11th century mosque minaret near the eastern Turkish province of Elazığ has drawn comparisons to Pisa's famous leaning tower.      

In a new provocative move, Turkey has appointed a permanent Imam at the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. According to Turkish news agency Anadolu, the post of a permanent Imam had been vacant since 1935, but the Religious Affairs services, along with the Mufti of the Fatih region reached a decision to place a permanent Imam who will be responsible for the 5 Muslim prayers a day.