The Nizhny Novgorod Cathedral Mosque (Tatar: Түбән Новгород җәмигъ мәчете) is the main Muslim place of worship in Nizhny Novgorod, a jumu'ah mosque opened on March 20, 1915. It is located at Kazanskaya Naberezhnaya, 6, near Sennaya Square and the bus station of the same name. It belongs to the city's Tatar community and serves as the spiritual center of Muslims in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. It is a Architectural Monument of Federal Significance (reg. no. 521410071710006).[1]

Construction history and fate of the building

In 1908, the Muslim community of Nizhny Novgorod established a «Committee for the Construction of a Mohammedan Mosque» in the upper part of the city.[1] In 1910, the committee obtained official permission to build, and in the summer of 1913 the mosque's foundation stone was laid.[1] The building was designed by Dombrovsky P. A. in the style of Islamic architecture.[1] The grand opening took place on March 20, 1915.[1]

In 1938, the mosque was closed and used as a military hospital, a kindergarten, a warehouse, and for other purposes.[1] Following numerous appeals to the country's leadership, the building was returned to the city's Muslims in 1988.[1]

Imams of the mosque

From the mosque's opening in 1915, it was headed by Shakhimardan Ilyasov.[1] From 1933 to 1938, the duties of imam were performed by Sagman Iskhakov.[1] The imam-khatib of the Cathedral Mosque, U. Yu. Idrisov, headed the DUMNO (Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Nizhny Novgorod Region) from its very first days.[1] The mosque's second imam-khatib, Munir Beyusov, is also part of the leadership structure of the region's Islamic organizations.[1]

Educational institutions

From the time of the mosque's revival in 1988, a Sunday school began operating on its premises. Since 2003, the mekteb has been named "Ikhsan" ("a place for sincere diligence in worship of the Almighty").[1]

In 1994, a separate building was constructed adjacent to the mosque, housing the Makhinur Madrasa" — a secondary vocational educational institution within the DUMNO educational system. Prior to the construction of this building, classes were held on the second floor of the cathedral mosque.[1]

Links

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (ru) — Nizhny Novgorod Cathedral Mosque (archive)
  2. nnintur.ru — Cathedral Mosque — history and landmarks (archive)
  3. tripadvisor.ru — The mosque received its federal cultural heritage site status in 2008. (archive)
  4. bigenc.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Cathedral Mosque — Great Russian Encyclopedia (archive)