Norilsk Mosque Built Square-Based Minaret

The Nord Kamal Mosque in Norilsk, Russia, stands roughly 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle and holds a Guinness record as the world's northernmost mosque. A Tatar businessman named Mukhtad Bekmeyev began its construction in 1993, named it after his parents Nuritdin and Gaynikamal, and inaugurated it in 1998. An architect named Josef Muire designed its 30-meter minaret with a square rather than circular base to resist freezing and powerful winds. He also angled the dome against heavy snowfall, while builders placed the entire mosque on stilts.

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