The old Moscow Cathedral Mosque on Mira Avenue was remembered by the city residents for its incredible popularity during the days of the main Muslim celebrations - Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Adha. These days, the surrounding neighborhoods were blocked off and filled with thousands of worshipers.
And this is not surprising. The former building of the temple was much inferior in size to the current one. Today, the Moscow Cathedral Mosque is one of the most interesting architectural objects of the capital. Its tall minarets are visible far beyond the Olympic Avenue.
First Mosque
More than a hundred years ago, there was a mosque on the site of the current luxurious building. The Moscow Cathedral Church was erected in 1904. The building will be built according to the design of the Moscow architect Nikolai Zhukov, mainly at the expense of the well-known philanthropist, merchant Salih Yerzin. This mosque became the second Muslim temple in the capital, but after the mosque in Zamoskvorechye was closed (in 1937), the address Vypolzov lane, house 7, became a symbol of Soviet Islam.
Temple receiveda letter of protection from Stalin himself, which was a telegram of thanks for helping the front during the Second World War. In addition, the visits of famous leaders of Muslim states in the post-war years to Vypolzov Lane reliably protected the religious life of the temple.
Gamal Abdel Nasser, Sukarno, Muammar Gaddafi and other well-known politicians who sought the favor of the leadership of the Soviet Union, during their visits to the capital, visited not only the Kremlin, but also stopped at some advanced enterprise, and without fail in mosque.
Interesting facts
Visits of distinguished guests to the mosque were quite difficult and often not according to the script. For example, in 1981, the leader of the Libyan Jamahiriya, who visited the mosque, did not follow the diplomatic protocol. Gaddafi asked the imams why there were no young people in the temple in the prayer hall, where you can buy religious literature in Moscow, he offered financial assistance to the mosque.
The Iranians left portraits of Ayatollah Khomeini on the windowsills of the mosque, invited the imam of the Moscow mosque A. Mustafin to come to Tehran, although neither in the Soviet Union in general, nor Muslim religious leaders in particular, by that time had not yet decided on their attitude to what had happened Islamic Revolution.
Nevertheless, it is thanks to the international status of the mosque that it has survived. This made it possible to hold open prayers in the Soviet capital. The imams of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque became frequent guests at government receptions.
Imams of the mosque
Today, six imams serve in the temple. Ildar Alyautdinov is the chief imam of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque. He is assisted by Mustafa Kutyukchu, Rais Bilyalov, Anas Sadretdinov, Islam Zaripov and Vais Bilyaletdinov, the oldest imam (30 years of service). In Soviet times, it was the only mosque in the city that did not stop its work and regularly held services.
Building a new temple
By the end of the 20th century, the mosque was increasingly called dilapidated and in need of renovation or reconstruction. Under this pretext, they tried to demolish the building on the eve of the Olympics-80, it was saved only by the intervention of the Muslim community in Moscow and the ambassadors of some Arab countries.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the mosque received the status of a cultural heritage site, but not for long. Soon the status was canceled, recognizing the structure as dilapidated and subject to demolition. In addition, by this time the mosque could no longer accommodate all believers even in Friday prayers.
In 2011, the old building was completely dismantled. For several years, prayers were held in a temporary building. The construction was accompanied by numerous court proceedings between the authors of the project, Alexei Kolenteev and Ilyas Tazhiev, with the customer, represented by the Spiritual Board of Muslims. However, inIn 2005, it was decided to carry out a large-scale reconstruction. And in 2011, construction began on the building of a new mosque designed by Alexei Kolenteev and Ilyas Tazhiev.
Moscow Cathedral Mosque: opening
On September 23, 2015, a long-awaited event for the entire Muslim world of Russia took place. The magnificent Moscow Cathedral Mosque opened its doors. The address of the temple is Vypolzov lane, house 7. This holiday brought together numerous guests. The solemn and very memorable ceremony was attended by President Putin, politicians, well-known representatives of science and culture. It should be noted that famous and honored guests in the mosque are not uncommon - both before and after reconstruction, it remains the center of Islam in Russia, it is visited by many politicians, representatives of culture from all over the world.
Construction cost
The Council of Muftis reported that the Moscow Cathedral Mosque was built for $170 million. This huge amount includes donations from ordinary believers, as well as funds from large entrepreneurs. A book was published in their honor, all the benefactors are listed by name.
The current mosque can hardly be called a reconstructed building. After all, only tiny fragments of the walls remained from the old building.
Architecture
The Moscow Cathedral Mosque occupies a huge area - 18,900 square meters (before the reconstruction it was 964 square meters). To strengthen the structure, 131 piles were driven into its base, asa metro line has been laid, and the underground river Neglinka carries its waters.
There are several cultural and historical references in the architectural complex of the new mosque. For example, the main minarets, whose height is more than 70 meters, resemble in their shape the Spassky Tower of the Moscow Kremlin in the capital and the leaning Syuyumbike Tower of the Kazan Kremlin. This is no coincidence. The architects resorted to such a solution as a symbol of unity and friendship between the Tatar and Russian peoples.
The huge 46-meter dome of the mosque, covered with twelve tons of gold leaf, surprisingly harmonizes with the overall appearance of the "gold-domed" Moscow. The architects also took into account the original appearance of the mosque. Fragments of the old walls were reassembled, and they successfully fit into the new interior, while retaining their original appearance. The top of one minaret is crowned with a crescent moon, which once adorned the old building.
The Moscow Cathedral Mosque has certain features of the Byzantine style. The magnificent six-storey building is crowned with minarets, domes and towers of various sizes. The area of the new building is 20 times larger than the original version. Today, prayer halls for women and men can accommodate about ten thousand believers. There are also special rooms for the ritual of washing, a large and cozy hall for conferences and meetings.
The leading Muslim imams conduct services in the new mosque, they also perform traditional rites.
Internaldecor
The Moscow Cathedral Mosque inside amazes guests with luxury and magnificence of decoration. Exquisite patterns on the walls of the temple, thought out to the smallest detail decor elements are fully consistent with the traditions of Muslim architecture. The interior uses the classic colors for Islam - green, emerald, white, blue.
The inside of the dome, like the walls and ceiling of the mosque, is decorated with paintings. These are sacred verses from the Koran, which were performed by Turkish masters. The Turkish government donated magnificent front doors, extraordinary (hand-made) carpets for the halls and luxurious crystal chandeliers to the cathedral mosque.
The mosque is illuminated by more than three hundred and twenty lamps, which are placed on the ceiling and walls. Their main part repeats the shape of the dome of the temple. The main (central) chandelier is a giant lamp. Its height is about eight meters, and this design weighs one and a half tons. It was created by fifty masters from Turkey for three months.
Tourist Tips
It should be noted that it is not necessary to be a Muslim to see the mosque. Here, as in the mosques of Istanbul and other large cities, the doors are open to representatives of different religions. But certain rules must be followed.
Women must cover their hair and their clothing must be tight and closed. Before entering, you should take off your shoes, and try not to disturb the worshipers.
Reviews
Many guests of the mosque, who knew the old building, note that the splendor and luxury of the newbuildings are amazing. And this applies not only to the architectural features of the complex, but also to its interior decoration. I am glad that everyone can enter the mosque (observing the rules), and get to know Islam, its history and traditions better.
