The government of Turkey is building a 15-acre, $100 million mega-mosque in Lanham, Maryland. Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan visited the site on May 15 as part of his official visit to the U.S. The State of Maryland was officially represented at the event by its Secretary of State John McDonough. The event was also attended by the leaders of two U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entities. The mega-mosque is called the Turkish American Culture and Civilization Center and, according to the Muslim Link, it “will likely become the largest and most striking examples of Islamic architecture in the western hemisphere” when it is finished in 2014.
The TACC Center will consist of five main buildings: a masjid constructed using 16th century classical Ottoman architecture that can hold 760 worshipers; a two-story, 19,990 sq. ft. Cultural Center Building including a 220-seating performance hall; a 9,850 sq. ft. recreational building with a 180-seat restaurant and traditional coffee shop; a 43,450 sq. ft. traditional Turkish bath for up to 22 people at a time and indoor pool and sports center; and 18,500 sq. ft. of guest housing including 16 one-bedroom apartment units. The complex will have very limited above ground parking and most cars will park in the 150,700 sq. ft. underground parking garage which gives direct access to all the main buildings.
–excerpted from an article at Clarion Project
