Rashida Mosque is located in the village of Medyany.
The mosque was built in 1992–94 with funds provided by the prominent philanthropist Faiz Galminov and named in honor of his mother. It is considered one of the finest examples of modern Islamic architecture in Russia.
The mosque's form is unconventional, yet it fully observes all the canons of Islam. In plan, the mosque resembles a five-petaled flower: three of the petals rise into domes, while the remaining two become flanking minarets. The architect, Ilyas Tazhiyev, is a well-known architect who also designed the mosque on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow.
The mosque houses Mektebe Rashida".
Since 2001, a religious museum of the history of Nizhny Novgorod Tatars has been open on the mosque's premises.
About the Mosque
The Rashida Mosque, a designated cultural heritage site, was donated to the tiny Tatar village of Medyany by one of its local residents at the end of the last century. Three years ago the Muslim community transferred the place of worship to the joint-stock company Medina, which specialized in the gambling business and went bankrupt. Now the beautiful mosque is being put up for auction.
The Rashida Mosque is considered a true masterpiece of Islamic architecture. It is arguably the most beautiful and original mosque in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. Built in the form of a five-petaled flower, it is adorned with fine carvings and inlays of emerald and white marble. The residents of the village of Medyany take great pride in it.
But it is not only a prayer hall — it is also the Museum of the History of Nizhny Novgorod Tatars, a library, a madrasa, and a pilgrim's guesthouse. The complex is under special protection as a site of cultural and spiritual significance to the region.
The Sale of the Mosque
|
The largest mosque in the Nizhny Novgorod Region has been put up for auction. It is being sold to cover its owner's debts. Along with the mosque, the Museum of Tatar History, a pilgrim's guesthouse, and a madrasa school may also be sold. The starting price of the lot is 602 million 380 thousand rubles. The mosque may be purchased by either an organization or a private individual. The announcement of the sale of the Muslim place of worship was published in the local district newspaper, broadcast as a ticker on several regional television channels, and posted on the internet. As the media report today, this is astonishing: after all, it is a mosque, not an apartment or a garden plot. Muslims — like followers of other faiths — are bewildered: "How can a mosque be sold?" Rashida Mosque parishioner Ravil Syayftdinov says: "I am 70 years old, and I have never heard of a mosque being sold. It doesn't fit in my head — this must never be done under any circumstances." Fiarit Abdurakhmanov, director of the Museum of the History of Nizhny Novgorod Tatars, is equally uncomprehending: "The mosque has been valued at 600 million rubles. That is wrong. This mosque is priceless. There is no price for this mosque." Maksut Gayazov, business manager of the Muslim religious society Medina, explains that the tax they are required to pay monthly amounts to 2% of the mosque's value as assessed by an independent commission. For Medina, this is an unaffordable sum. "In the end, we owe one million two hundred thousand rubles in tax every month, and we simply do not have money like that," says Maksut Gayazov. OAO Medina, which came to own the Rashida Mosque, has declared itself bankrupt. The company is left with multi-million-ruble debts — and not only on property taxes. "This enterprise was engaged exclusively in the gambling business. Its current debts to the budget stand at 105 million rubles, of which 65 million is gambling tax and 30 million is property tax," says Nina Mamykina, deputy head of the Federal Tax Service Directorate for the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The mosque, as property of the bankrupt enterprise, was put up for sale by the appointed arbitration manager. The residents of the village of Medyany are deeply concerned about the future fate of their mosque. So far, however, no one has wished to buy it: the price is too high. As reported by Vesti.ru, the Volga Bulgars — ancestors of the modern Tatars — settled on the lands of the Nizhny Novgorod region in the 3rd century, adopted Islam in the 10th century, and built their first mosque. Much happened since then: mosques were demolished, closed down, and in the Soviet era used as warehouses and hospitals. Yet the history of the Tatar people has never known a single instance of a mosque being put up for auction over debts. |
|
The most recent auction was held on 21 January with a starting lot price of 542.142 million rubles and a deposit of 108.428 million rubles, but was declared void due to the absence of bids.