Islam in Dagestan: history. The largest mosque in Dagestan

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Islam is the second largest official religion in the world. The number of its adherents reaches almost two billion people in one hundred and twenty-eight countries of the world. In the Republic of Dagestan, citizens also adhere to the Islamic religion.

The beginning of the story

It is believed that Islam originated in the territory of the current holy places - the cities of Mecca and Medina. This is the western part of the Arabian Peninsula. The formation of religion coincided with the formation of state foundations among the Arabs, so this people is considered to be the distributors of religion around the world.

According to history, the first person to preach Islam was an unknown young man named Mohammed. He lived in Mecca. His family was of a very noble family, but by the time his son was born, they had become poor. Basically, the upbringing of Muhammad was carried out by his grandfather, who was a patriarch. The people loved him for his wisdom and justice.

Mohammed's father died when he was a few months old (according to another version, even before the birth of his son). The baby was given to be raised in a nomadic tribe (as the customs of the people prescribed). Mom took him to her when Muhammad was 5 years old. Soon she decided to visithusband's relatives and his grave. She took her son and went to Yathrib. On the way back, Muhammad's mother fell ill and died. He was 7 years old at the time.

He was taken in by his uncle, who was a rich merchant. The boy helped him in business affairs. Mohammed began to read his first sermons around 610, but the people of his hometown did not recognize his speeches and did not accept him. He decided to move to Yathrib, which became known as the city of the prophet (in Arabic, Medina). It was there that, over time, the sermons of Muhammad began to reach the minds and hearts of people, the positions of the new religion began to strengthen.

Not everyone shared the new faith. Religious conflict still exists today. The Muslim community does not approve of the views of orthodox Christians, who, in their opinion, did not believe in the true God.

War and religion

The spread of Islam in Dagestan stretched for hundreds of years. During this period, many events happened that are still considered tragic. Usually, the time when Islam came to Dagestan is usually divided into two stages: before and after the 10th century AD. The first stage is very closely connected with the Arabs. It has several directions. Arabs are a warlike nation. They made military campaigns during which the Muslim religion was artificially planted.

The first person who brought Islam to Dagestan is the Arab commander Maslama ibn Abdul-Malik. During the conquests (XVIII century), the Arabs acted very subtly when it comes to imposing their faith. Everyone who accepted the newdoctrine, were exempted from the poll tax. It was paid only by those residents who professed the former religion.

Women, children, monks, as well as Christians who fought on the side of the Arabs were exempted from paying this tax. It was a kind of political ploy and economic coercion to adopt a new religion.

First Follower

According to historical data, the history of Islam in Dagestan begins with the Arab commander Maslama. It was on his orders that the construction of the first mosques in Dagestan began. Gradually, this religion was strengthened in one of the largest cities - Derbent. There is no exact information about who was the first to accept Islam in Dagestan. There is historical evidence that one of Maslama's radical steps was the forcible resettlement of people from Syria. It also had an impact on the spread and strengthening of Islam among the local population.

After a successful resettlement operation, Maslama went further and began to practice similar planting of Islam among local residents in other cities. Those who could not be attracted to the new faith, Maslama executed. So the history of Dagestan developed until the 9th century, when the strength and power of the Arab state began to wane. There is evidence that after the fall of the Arab Caliphate in many parts of Dagestan, the inhabitants returned to their pagan origins.

After the tenth century

Approximately from the second half of the tenth century, Islam in Dagestan has finally gained a foothold and spread. This was expressed in the emergence of Arabicnames, in the designation of writing and various formulas.

The second so-called stage of the Islamization of Dagestan began with the penetration of Turkic nomadic tribes into its territory. The steppe sultans were also bearers of the Islamic religion and continued to impose it on the conquered territories. At that time, the southern part of Dagestan was subordinate to the Turkic Sultanate. The rulers generously gave away land to the nobility who converted to Islam.

The Arab invasion of Dagestan brought a new religion to the country. The fierce Khan Timur and his associates finally strengthened her position. For the famous conqueror, religion was one of the fundamental factors in managing not only his own lands, but also the newly conquered ones. Timur very subtly manipulated religion, awarded lands to those Dagestan rulers who not only converted to Islam themselves, but also converted all their subjects to the new faith.

Timur skillfully incited rejection and hatred for other religions. The local nobility, drugged by the promises of the great commander, adopted a new religion.

In places where the inhabitants fought in every possible way against the imposition of Islam, Timur acted by other methods. For example, writing and reading in Georgian was prohibited in Georgia. Mosques were built, in which mullahs from Arabs were appointed. They not only spoke, but also wrote in Arabic. However, the Georgian kings, who were adherents of the Christian faith, fought with great ferocity against the new order, as they did not want to lose their influence on the local population.

Serious obstacles to the spread of Islam inDagestan was created by the Mongols (especially after the onset of the Mongol Khan Bukdai in 1239). Khan with his army went ahead, burning everything in its path. Derbent also fell under destruction, which by that time was a stronghold of Islam in Dagestan. All mosques were destroyed, books and documents were destroyed. But Derbent survived.

Later, all the destroyed mosques were rebuilt. One of the khans of the Golden Horde named Berke at the end of the thirteenth century himself adopted the Islamic religion and ordered his subjects to do the same. Under Burke, the Dagestan clergy received significant support and protection, and the men who arrived from Dagestan, who were residents of the North Caucasus, had a special status and social position throughout the Golden Horde.

Final Strengthening of Islam

The hard period came in the sixteenth century. This is the heyday and spread of such a branch of religion as Sufism. The influence of Sufism began from Persia. Just like any rulers of the world, they wanted to establish their faith on the lands of Dagestan.

Sufism, of course, contributed to the strengthening of the position of Islam. He also destroyed the influence of traditional foundations. Local rulers in their power relied on customs and traditions. Sufism, on the other hand, adhered to the teacher-student hierarchy.

Islam has taken strong roots in Dagestan. This was facilitated by a continuous flow of adherents of religion. These are the Arabs, followed by the Turks, then Timur. Gradually, madrasahs, mosques, schools began to appear everywhere in the country,spread Arabic script.

Dagestan was drawn into the world cycle of Islamic culture, which at that time was on the rise and was considered the most highly developed. Arabic literature began to gain great popularity. The works of its prominent representatives, such as Firdausi, Avicenna, have survived to this day.

In contrast to the formation of Islam in Dagestan, the Islamic religion came to neighboring lands (Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabarda) much later. In the sixteenth century, when Islam was sufficiently strengthened in Dagestan, missionaries appeared who, on a voluntary basis, came to remote areas and talked about religion, about its basic laws, read excerpts from the Koran at public meetings and explained places incomprehensible to people.

Islam came to the northwestern regions of the Caucasus much later. For example, among the Crimean Tatars and Adyghes, religion became stronger only by the beginning of the nineteenth century.

The main mosque of Dagestan

The largest mosque in Dagestan and Europe is located in Makhachkala. Thousands of pilgrims come to this city to visit this religious building. The main image for its construction was the Turkish Blue Mosque, located in Istanbul. Construction was carried out by Turkish specialists.

The Dagestan mosque differs from the Turkish one in that it is made in snow-white tones. The word "Juma" in Arabic means "Friday, Friday". Most of the residents of the city and surrounding areas gather in the mosque on Fridays at noon to pray in Makhachkala.

The Central Mosque was opened in 1997 thanks to donations from a we althy Turkish family. Initially, the building was not particularly spacious. It was decided to reconstruct in order to expand the space.

In 2007, a telethon was held on one of the main television channels of the republic to raise funds for the construction. Thanks to this, almost thirty million rubles were collected, which made it possible to reconstruct the building and the territory. Now fifteen thousand believers can simultaneously conduct prayer in Makhachkala.

Architecture and decoration

As mentioned above, the central mosque was built by Turkish specialists. The prototype was the Istanbul Blue Mosque. During the reconstruction, additional "wings" were attached to the main building, which expanded the building and made it possible to almost double the capacity.

At present, several times a day, a lingering booming sound sounds from the high minarets of the mosque, calling all people to prayer in Makhachkala. People leave work and go to prayer.

The Central Juma Mosque has two floors. On the first floor, the floors are completely covered with green rugs. This room is for men only. The second floor is for women. All women who come here sit down to pray on red rugs.

All walls of the mosque, columns and ceilings are decorated with various decorative elements on a religious theme. Here you can see sayings from the Koran in Arabic. There are many in the hallsstucco, stone tiles, patterns. Religious books, ancient manuscripts and rosaries made of Bohemian glass are also kept here. The halls are decorated with magnificent chandeliers.

Modern Mosque Life

The Central Juma Mosque in Makhachkala has not lost its relevance in the stream of rapidly changing modern life. Now it serves as a symbol of peace and goodness. All sorts of meetings and events related to religion and moral aspects of life, as well as prayers and sermons are held on its territory.

In addition, the leadership of the mosque organized a training center where everyone can come to learn more about the history of Dagestan, communicate with new people, read the Koran.

The Mosque welcomes volunteers who want to help all those in need, as well as hold meetings to teach youth the basics of religion. Getting to the mosque is very easy. It is located at the intersection of Dakhadaev and Imam Shamil streets. It's only a few minutes drive from the city center.

Mosque in Gazi-Kumukh

The city of Gazi-Kumukh has been widely known since ancient times. From the first years of its existence, it has become one of the most important political and cultural centers of the Eastern Caucasus, as well as one of the most significant and largest centers of the spread of Islam in Dagestan.

The city has experienced some of the most difficult events in its history. Not only Islam penetrated and tried to gain a foothold here, but also other religions, such as Zoroastrianism, Christianity, many small local faiths and their forms.

During the invasion of the Arab commander Maslama, whose goal was to convert to the Islamic religion all the peoples he met on his way, the construction of mosques by his order was carried out in all major cities. It was carried out even in distant mountain villages. Such a mosque was also built in Gazi-Kumukh.

However, there is considerable disagreement among historians on this score. Some experts claim that this mosque was built three centuries after the death of Maslama. There is no mention that it was built on the orders of this particular commander.

Documents in the local archives claim that the mosque in the village of Kumukh, which has always been famous for its bazaars and places of worship, was built on the orders of Magomed Khan. And he improved and expanded it after the death of Magomed Surkhay Khan.

Description

In 1949, the famous explorer of the Caucasus L. I. Lavrov arrived in the village of Kumukh. Having visited the mosque, he described in some detail its interior and exterior decoration. The walls of the building were laid out with tiles of the same size.

The lancet vaults erected at the beginning of construction have survived to this day and have never been restored. A unique part of the structure is the complex grille above the mirhab. It was carved from solid stone by the most experienced masons for several months in a row.

I must say that over the entire period of the existence of the mosque in Gazi-Kumukh, many researchers and travelers came to admire its architecture and made their own notes. In their travel notes, they recorded only the data that they liked the most when visiting the sights.

Someone admiringly described the inscriptions and patterns on the walls, someone liked the architecture or the columns that supported the ceiling tiles in the most intricate way.

Inside the mosque also has a complex structure for that time. Numerous columns were installed here, which are located along the hall. It is divided into two parts - male and female. Women were allowed to pray on the north side.

Inside, the columns and walls are very carefully plastered and painted with amazing patterns, which are interweaving of bizarre plants. Also around the perimeter you can read excerpts from the Koran, which are written in Arabic script.

The mosque has been restored several times during its long life. There is an interesting legend about this, which says that the mother of one of the khans personally supervised the reconstruction. She made a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca seven times in her life, so she wanted the work to be carried out in accordance with all the rules.

To this day, almost the entire foundation and stone elements have survived. Only minor details of the layout and decoration were subjected to reconstruction. In modern times, the mosque has never been subjected to large-scale repairs. Therefore, everything that is in it now came to us from the distant past, when craftsmen erected buildings for centuries without computer technology.