The Mukhtarov Mosque is Vladikavkaz's most distinctive building and one of the most photographed in the North Caucasus. It stands on the bank of the Terek River, its blue-tiled minaret and ornate Persian-influenced facades an incongruous but welcome surprise in what is otherwise a fairly functional Soviet-era cityscape.
The mosque serves the Ossetian Muslim community, which has historically coexisted with the larger Orthodox Christian majority. The interior is open to visitors outside prayer times; photography is welcome with permission. The riverside setting — the Terek rushing past below, the Greater Caucasus visible to the south — makes this one of the better urban viewpoints in the city.