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Saint Petersburg Mosque

Saint Petersburg Mosque

Kronverkskiy Prospekt, 7, Sankt-Peterburg, Russie, 197046

RELIGIONS Islam

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELIGIOUS SITE

DESCRIPTION
The Saint Petersburg Mosque, when opened in 1913, was the largest mosque in Europe outside Turkey, its minarets 49 meters in height and the dome is 39 meters high. The mosque is situated in downtown St Petersburg. It can accommodate up to five thousand worshippers.

The founding stone was laid in 1910 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Abdul Ahat Khan in Bukhara. By that time, the Muslim community of the Russian then-capital exceeded 8,000 people.
The projected structure was capable of accommodating most of them. The architect Nikolai Vasilyev patterned the mosque after Gur-e Amir, the tomb of Tamerlane in Samarkand. Its construction was completed by 1921.
HISTORICAL RELEVANCE
In 1882, Selim-Girei Tevkelev who in 1865 was appointed the Mufti of Orenburg turned to and obtained agreement from minister Count Tolstoy with the requirement for a mosque in St. Petersburg.
In 1906, the Minister formed a special committee headed by Ahun Ataulla Bayazitov to collect 750,000 rubles within 10 years for the construction of the mosque.
They organized collections in towns and providences of Russia and received donations from many sponsors.
In addition the committee input securities in total amount of 142,000 rubles and also stamps for mosque's project.

In 1940 Soviet authorities banned services and turned the building into a medical equipment storehouse. At the request of the first Indonesian President, Sukarno, ten days after his visit to the city, the mosque was returned to the Muslim Religious community of St. Petersburg in 1956.[2] A major restoration of the mosque was carried out in 1980.
INTER-RELIGIOUS RELEVANCE
Early in the 20th century Russia, a profound Orthodox country agreed to build a Mosque in one of its biggest and influential cities, that is Saint Petersburg.
To see how a minority of the population that was muslims managed to adapt themselves in an Orthodox culture, and how such close minded orthodox people, in a then communist environment, grew to accept the Islamic community.
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
The location of the mosque was symbolic, sited opposite the Peter and Paul Fortress, in the city centre.
The permission to purchase the site was given by Emperor Nicholas II in Peterhof on 3 July 1907.
That autumn, the committee approved the project by architect Nikolai Vasilyev, the engineer Stepan Krichinsky, and construction was overseen by academic Alexander von Hohen. The building facade was made by combining both oriental ornaments and turquoise blue mosaic.

There is no doubt that the Muslim community grew in this city and that it influenced the behaviors and daily routine.
HOW TO USE WITH THE STUDENTS
Direct visit would be the best way to really realize how such different religions and communities can coexist.
REFERENCE TO THE GUIDELINE

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  • The Saint Petersburg Mosque - Russia
    The Saint Petersburg Mosque, when opened in 1913, was the largest mosque in Europe outside Turkey, its minarets 49 meters in height and the dome is 39 meters high. The mosque is situated in downtown St Petersburg. It can accommodate up to five thousand worshipers.
    The founding stone was laid in 1910 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Abdul Ahat Khan in Bukhara. By that time, the Muslim community of the Russian then-capital exceeded 8,000 people. The projected structure was capable of accommodating most of them. The architect Nikolai Vasilyev patterned the mosque after Gur-e Amir, the tomb of Tamerlane in Samarkand. Its construction was completed by 1921.
    The Mosque was closed to worshippers from 1940 to 1956.

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.