Moscow Cathedral Mosque

Moscow Cathedral Mosque for all Muslims of our country, without exception, has become a symbol of unshakable and firm faith, which has passed many tests of the God-fighting era. This is the main mosque of Moscow, as well as one of the most important in the Russian Federation. The Cathedral Mosque is a magnificent historical and architectural monument, a place of unity and brotherhood with fellow believers. The attraction in the form of a huge building with high minarets combines the works of Muslims of different nationalities who lived at different times.

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Video: Moscow Cathedral Mosque

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General Information

‘ Russia, but also in Europe. The capital’s landmark is located in Vypolzovy Pereulok, in Meshchansky district, near Prospekt Mira metro station and Olimpiysky sports complex near Olimpiysky Avenue and Durova Street.

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The type of mosque is a juma mosque. The current is Sunnism, Hanafi madhab. The new mosque can accommodate up to 15,000 worshippers at a time, its total area is 18,900 square meters. The area of the old mosque was only 964 m².

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The height of the dome reaches 46 meters, the diameter of the dome – 27 m, the weight of gold leaf – 12 kg (a reference to Moscow golden-headed), the height of the two main minarets – 72 meters (some sources indicate that their height – 78 m). The minarets are perfectly visible even from outside the Olympic Avenue. From the observation deck of the Cathedral Mosque of Moscow there is a magnificent view of the north and center of the capital.

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The old building of the mosque was built in the early 20th century, namely in 1904. After 107 years, in 2011, it was completely demolished, and in its place a new building was erected and opened in September 2015.

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In October 2015, a hair from the Prophet Muhammad’s head was donated to the Cathedral Mosque and about 5,000 people came to see it.

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History of the Cathedral Mosque

The history of the erection of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque is of special interest to researchers of Muslim traditions, avid history buffs and ordinary tourists. It can be conditionally divided into two important stages: before the global restructuring (the history of the original mosque) and after the global restructuring (the history of the new mosque).

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You can read more about the history of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque in the article by Damir Zinyurovich Khayretdinov, candidate of historical sciences, rector of the Moscow Islamic Institute, “Moscow Cathedral Mosque: the history of the emergence”, published in Volume 11 of the third issue of the journal “Islam in the Modern World” for 2015.

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History of the original mosque

The construction of the Muslim shrine took only a few months. In 1902, the Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly (OMDS) received as a gift a plot of land located in Vypolzovy Lane, which belonged to burgher Sabirzyan Bakirov and merchant Habibulla Akbulatov. Two years later, in May 1904, OMDS submitted a petition for the construction of a Muslim prayer house. The petition was granted, and in June of the same year architect Nikolai Zhukov submitted his project for approval. The construction, which would have been impossible without the support of the Tatar merchant Salih Erzin, was completed at the end of 1904

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In 1913, the community received permission to build a residential house in the courtyard of the mosque. In this house, in addition to the usual apartments, there was a school of a religious nature, which after 1917 turned into a secular Tatar school.

During the Soviet Union

Not only was the mosque not banned during the Soviet Union, but after the first Moscow mosque was closed in 1936, it became the only functioning mosque in central Russia. In 1936 it received the status of Sobornaya mosque. In 1944 Joseph Stalin sent a telegram thanking Imam Khalil Nasretdinov for the fact that Moscow Muslims had raised money for the Red Army and thus helped to defeat the enemy.

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On the initiative of Mufti Ravil Gainutdin, the MVIDC was opened on the territory of the mosque in 1994, and in 1995 – MIU.

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History of the new mosque

The Russian DUM (Spiritual Administration of Muslims) initiated a large-scale reconstruction of the shrine in 2005. Ravil Gainutdin stated that the original building would be reconstructed rather than completely demolished. In September 2005, the foundation stone of the new complex of the Cathedral Mosque was laid. The initiative of the DUM was fully supported by the Moscow government.

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%’ Russia explained that one of the building’s walls had collapsed and could not be rebuilt.

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The completely rebuilt mosque was opened on September 23, 2015. The opening ceremony was attended by Vladimir Putin, Recep Erdogan (President of Turkey), Mahmut Abbas (President of Palestine), heads of Russian Muslim regions, delegations from Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Jordan, Kazakhstan and representatives of Christian religious organizations. The construction of the mosque cost $170 million dollars.

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Exterior and interior

The new Moscow Cathedral Mosque is built in Byzantine style in the form of a six-story main building, which is decorated with several different-sized minarets, domes and turrets. The minarets are both similar to the tower of Kazan’s Kremlin Syuyumbike and the towers of the Moscow Kremlin. The shape of the minarets of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque symbolizes the centuries-old and strong friendship of the peoples of Russia. The architecture of the landmark is eclectic, it combines Tatar and Russian traditions.

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‘ Mosque domehttps://trevaladvisor.com/” alt=””/>‘ The Dome of the Rock, a model of the original mosque made of original materials, facsimiles of the oldest manuscripts from Istanbul and Tashkent, a fragment of the Kaaba cover, a 19th century box for storing the Quran from India, a Quran made of sterling silver.

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To get on a group tour, you need to come to the tour desk in the administrative building and pay for the visit. Bank cards are not accepted, so make sure you have cash in advance. Excursions are conducted in Russian and English. The average cost of an excursion in Russian – 150-350 rubles, in English – 450-550 rubles. There are discounts for schoolchildren and pensioners.

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You can agree in advance and order a tour in Italian, Tatar or French. 2-3 days before the desired date there is an opportunity to order and individual excursion, which involves a convenient time and a closed group. The cost of an individual excursion – from 2000 to 9000 rubles.

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During the informative excursion visitors will see the unique architecture of the Cathedral Mosque, the luxurious interior decoration, the daily life of Muslims and the Museum of Islam. They will also learn about the features of the landmark, the history of its development, the history of Islam in Russia, the pillars of Islam, the foundations of faith and moral and moral values of Muslims.

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Rules of visiting

There is a separate entrance and checkroom for tourists. During a visit to the Moscow Cathedral Mosque it is not allowed to take photos, video or audio recordings of the guide or worshippers. Persons who are not staff guides of the mosque may not conduct excursions. No loud talking or laughing is allowed on the grounds or in the mosque itself.

Appearance of women and men must comply with the rules of attendance. Clothing requirements must be strictly adhered to. Wearing shoes inside the mosque is strictly forbidden. It is forbidden to go beyond the fences inside the mosque.

Useful information

Official website of the mosque: https://www.mihrab.ru/.

‘ Moscow, Vypolzov pereulok, 7, p. 2 (administration).

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To get to the Sobornaya Mosque is most convenient by subway from the station “Prospekt Mira”, as well as by streetcars № 7 and 9, stop – “Ulitsa Schepkina.”

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If you get to the Moscow Cathedral Mosque by your own transport, you should take into account the fact that there is no free parking on its territory. Parking is available on Durova Street at the prices of “Moscow Parking.”