American financier Jeffrey Epstein was creating an unusual building on his island, which in private conversations he called a “mosque,” reports The New York Times. As the paper notes, he was keen on buying rare Islamic artifacts, using them to decorate the structure and, according to the NYT, to expand his circle of wealthy and influential acquaintances.

According to the NYT, tapestries embroidered with verses from the Quran were delivered from the Kaaba in Mecca. It is claimed they previously adorned sacred spaces inside the Kaaba and covered its outer walls. In addition, Epstein purchased tiles from Uzbekistan, as well as a golden metal dome for the building — it was created in the style of ancient Syrian architecture.

Documents mentioning the Islamic items also, according to the paper, shed light on the long-standing mystery of the strange structure on Epstein’s island. Initially, in documents the project was described as a “hammam” surrounded by an “Islamic garden,” but later the financier abandoned that idea and tried to obtain permission to build a “music room.” In correspondence with those involved in the project, Epstein referred to the structure as a “mosque” — including in a message to his contact in Uzbekistan as he tried to obtain authentic tiles.

Romanian artist Ion Nicola, whom the financier hired, said that Epstein did indeed regularly use that term. At the same time, there is no confirmation that he intended to use the building as a mosque.

Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in July 2019. At the time, prosecutors said there was evidence that in 2002–2005 he arranged visits to his Manhattan home by dozens of underage girls. Criminal proceedings in the United States were terminated after his suicide in a jail cell on August 10, 2019.