Towering over Midrand is the biggest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere. Built by a Turkish philanthropist 'Uncle Ali' Nizamiye Masjid was completed in 2012 and modelled on a 16th-Century mosque in Edirne, Turkey. With its 21 small domes, marble columns, hand-painted ceilings and rich mosaics this is a spectacular piece of architecture. The main dome, framed by four towering minarets, rises 32 metres. The complex also houses a school, clinic, Turkish supermarket, bakery, barber, bookshop, a carpet and ceramics store and a delicious Turkish restaurant, Ottoman Palace. For fascinating insights into the construction of the mosque and the history of Ottoman architecture book a tour (60 mins) of the place with Ahmed Coban.
