The opening ceremony of Matenadaran new building will be held at 20-year anniversary of Armenian's Independence Day on September 21. The competition to design the new Matenadaran building was announced back in 1987-1988, and it won an architectural studio headed by architect Artur Meschyan. Construction began, but stopped because of Spitak earthquake in 1988, and resumed only in 2008. The project mainly funded by Russian businessmen and philanthropist Sergey Ambartsumyan (US$ 7.120 million). The second largest investor is Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine (US$ 2.840 million). With 11358 square meters total area 30.5-high Matenadaran building can withstand an earthquake of 9 points. There is a separate depository of precious manuscripts in the building, reading rooms, a department for manuscripts digitization, observatory, 220-seat hall and so on. A new building is only the first phase of the project. At the second phase it is planned to renovate the old building of Matenadaran and make it a museum complex. In the third phase the part of the road connecting Mashtots avenue to Matenadaran will be renovated.

As reported by Arab news, on August 19 Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz laid the foundation stone for the historic expansion project of the Grand Mosque, which covers 400 thousand square meters northwest and northeast of the mosque, and will increase its total capacity to more than 2.5 million. According to informed sources, the total area of the existing Grand Mosque is 356 thousand square meters accommodating 770 thousand worshippers, while the new expansion covering an area of 456 thousand square meters will accommodate 1.2 million. The new US$ 21.8 million project will comprise three parts: construction of a new building, expansion and development of courtyards around the mosque, including walkways, tunnels and toilets, and development of service facilities for air-conditioning, electricity and drinking water. A number of new multistoried hotels will establish at the end of the courtyards of the new expansion. Vast pathways will be created between the building for pilgrims and worshippers to reach the mosque. Al-Masjid al-Haram is the largest mosque in the world. Located in the city of Makkah, it surrounds the Kaaba, the place which worldwide Muslims turn towards while performing daily prayers and is Islam's holiest place. The mosque is also known as the Grand Mosque.

As reported by the Armenian Weekly, earlier this month His Eminence Archbishop Avak Asadourian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Iraq, paid a pastoral visit to the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Northern Iraq, mainly to inspect the work of a new church which is being built in the village of Havresk (Hye Verejh) in the province of Duhok. Due to a state of insecurity, especially in Baghdad and Mosul cities since 2003, the Armenian communities in Iraq have been experiencing inner migration as is the case with other Christian denominations and minorities. As a consequence, a number of Armenians relocated to the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq. Hence, the Armenian Diocese of Iraq is faced with the obligation and Christian duty of building new churches for the faithful. Due to limited funding the church was not built in an entirely Armenian architectural style. The church is expected to be completed early next year. The new house of worship is being built through a generous donation by the Association of churches in Germany and Switzerland.

As reported by france24.com, St. Peter's Square will be restored to its 17th-century Baroque glory with a major renovation project due to be completed in 30 months. Work has already begun on part of the famous colonnade designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) - the sculptor and architect behind some of Rome's best-known landmarks. It will restore the colours and the architectural integrity of Bernini's original design said the head of Vatican technical services, Pier Carlo Cuscianna. The project will encompass all of the square's 376 columns and pillars, 140 statues and 1,200 meter in terraces and cornices, as well as the Clementina and Gregoriana fountains and the Egyptian obelisk in the middle. "Generous sponsors" are financing the project, Cuscianna said, without mentioning any names. The Vatican Museums will oversee the work and two Italian companies Italiana Costruzioni and Fratelli Navarra have been selected to carry it out.

As reported by emirates247.com, non-resident Indians in the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries are contributing to build what is claimed to be India's biggest mosque, Share Mubarak Masjid, which will come up in the outskirts of Kozhikode (Calicut), Kerala, home to a large number of NRIs living in the UAE. Dr MA Hakkim Azhari Kanthapuram, joint secretary of Markazu Ssaquafathi Ssunniyya of Calicut (a leading religious and charitable institution in India, helping the destitute Muslims and orphans in their education and overall socio-cultural development), during his visit to the UAE said, that about one million members of the organisation, many of them living in the UAE, each contributed US$ 22 to build the largest Indian mosque in a proposed Knowledge City, which is located on the outskirts of Calicut. To be built at a cost of US$ 8.8 million, the mosque will have a built-up area of 23 thousand square meters, accommodating up to 30 thousand worshippers. There will be a library for Islamic research and a conference hall where both Muslims and non-Muslims can come in pursuit of knowledge. The mosque will also be surrounded by Moghul-style garden and landscaping. The entire township would cost US$ 265 million. According to article, in Knowledge City will be professional engineering and medical colleges, a multidisciplinary hospital and healthcare city, a shopping mall, star hotels and convention center. The City layout has been finalised and urban planning is going on. Within the next six months, construction work will start. Currently, the biggest Indian mosque is Delhi's Jamia Masjid, built in the 17th century by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Jamia Masjid is built with red sandstone and white marble. About 25 thousand people can pray here at a time.