One of the iconic sights of Kazan is a large Muslim temple that rises behind the ancient walls of the Kazan Kremlin. A large beautiful mosque stood in the city in the Middle Ages, but it was destroyed by the troops of Ivan IV the Terrible. The picturesque Kul Sharif was built in 2005 in memory of the lost mosque.
History of the old mosque
From the middle of the 15th to the middle of the 16th centuries, a powerful feudal state existed in the Middle Volga region - the Kazan Khanate. Its inhabitants professed Sunni Islam, and in the capital, the beautiful Kazan, there were several mosques. The main temple stood out for its large size, luxurious decoration and had 8 high minarets.
Kul-Sharif Mosque from a bird's eye view
According to tradition, the head of the Muslim clergy was a seid - a man who belonged to the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. After the khan, he had the status of the second official of the state. In the middle of the 16th century, Kul Sharif, respected by all believers, was the seid of Kazan. The educated imam wrote poetry, negotiated and engaged in religious education. The Tatars respectfully called him "Emir" or a glorified hero.
By the middle of the 16th century, the rich khanate had lost its former power, and its history was approaching decline. Hard times were coming for the Tatars. In 1550, the Khanate concluded a peace treaty with Russia, but soon relations between the two states deteriorated.
View of the Kul Sharif mosque from the Pyramid shopping center
When the Russian soldiers besieged Kazan, the inhabitants of the city sent the Tyumen prince Birbaras and Imam Kul Sharif to negotiations. The terms of the agreement were very unfavorable for the Tatars, but they had to agree.
In the fall of 1552, the troops of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible attacked Kazan. The imam led the defense of one of the parts of the city, but the forces were unequal. He died along with his soldiers. According to one of the Tatar legends, Kul Sharif was killed on the roof of the main mosque, and then the body of the imam was thrown down.
View of the Kul-Sharif mosque from the Preobrazhenskaya tower of the Kazan Kremlin
After the storming of Kazan streets, a devastating fire engulfed all the Muslim temples. Thus, the age of the old mosque ended in fire and smoke. The territories that used to belong to the Kazan Khanate were taken over by the Russians, and local residents were converted to the Orthodox faith.
Construction of a new mosque
For almost four and a half hundred years, only a few historical documents, folk legends and poems reminded of the old Kazan mosque. The Soviet government fought against any religion, so there could be no question of the revival of the temple. Only in the mid-1990s, when the attitude towards the Church changed, was the question of building a new mosque in the Kazan Kremlin raised.
General view of the Kul-Sharif mosque
It took almost 10 years to reconstruct the historic temple. The construction took place from 1996 to 2005. No one knew where the old mosque stood, so they decided to build Kul-Sharif on the territory that used to belong to the Junker School. More than forty thousand citizens and organizations of Tatarstan contributed money to the temple.
To accurately determine the orientation of the mosque to Mecca, the builders used navigation on a space satellite. The temple was opened in the middle of summer 2005, when the residents of the city celebrated the 1000th anniversary of Kazan.
Architectural features
It was not known what the old mosque looked like, and Tatar architects took the ancient Al-Kabir mosque as a model. A Muslim temple, which is considered significant for the Volga Islam, stood in Bulgar and was destroyed several centuries ago.
The new building in the Kazan Kremlin was built of durable materials - Ural granite and marble. It has 5 floors, a massive 22m by 22m base, a central dome and six minarets. Four minarets, which are located around the dome, rise 58 m. Kul-Sharif is clearly visible from any part of the Kremlin, the embankment and the opposite bank of the river.
Dome and minarets of the Kul Sharif mosque
The architectural complex is faced with white marble. It shines brightly in the sun, and at sunset the walls are cast in a delicate pink color. The dome and spiers of the high minarets gleam with turquoise. The facade is decorated with inscriptions from the Koran, made of metal.
The sloping dome resembles the filigree Kazan Hat - the golden crown of Russian sovereigns, which is today kept in The Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin... According to one version, a unique headdress was made for Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible in honor of the conquest of Kazan. The dome of the mosque is 39 m high and 17.5 m in diameter.
Kul-Sharif Mosque in the night illumination
The Muslim temple occupies the center of a large, beautiful square. The open space is decorated with green and red paving slabs - in the colors of the national flag of the Republic of Tatarstan. Half-pavilions are attached to both sides of the main minaret building. A little to the side there is an administrative building of 2 floors, which was built in the same style as the mosque itself.
Interiors
The design of the mosque is made in strict accordance with Muslim traditions and national symbols of Tatarstan. Everyone who comes here is amazed by the abundance of gilding, skillful stucco molding, beautifully executed mosaics and multi-colored stained glass windows. The architecture of the building is organically interwoven with the symbol of the prosperity of ancient Bulgaria - the tulip flower.
Hall on the first floor of the mosque
The ceilings of the temple were designed by artists from Tatarstan. At first, they depicted ornaments and inscriptions on canvases, and then they lifted the finished works and fixed them on top. One of the suras of the Koran is inscribed on the inner surface of the dome in gold Arabic script. The walls are decorated with all the names of Allah, and the Shamailis are the names of the prophets.
Kul Sharif Mosque received luxurious floor carpets as a gift from the government Iran... A large crystal chandelier made of colored glass, crystal and gilding was made by Czech craftsmen. It has a diameter of 5 m and weighs almost 2.5 tons. The doors of the temple are made of durable oak, which was brought from the Krasnodar Territory.
Mosque layout
In addition to the prayer hall, the building houses the imam's office, wardrobes, places for ablutions, a museum and a room where the Islamic wedding ceremony - "nihak" is performed. Books with the names of all the people who donated money for the construction are carefully kept in the mosque. It also displays original gift editions of the Koran, printed in different countries of the world.
Museum
Since 2006, on the basement floor, in the stylobate, an interesting Museum of Islamic Culture has been opened. Its exhibits occupy two halls and tell about the history and culture of the Muslim traditions of the Turkic-Tatar peoples who have lived in the Volga and Ural regions since ancient times. This is the only museum of this kind in Russia.
View of the prayer hall of the mosque from the observation balcony
Tourists can find out which states existed on the territory of modern Tatarstan in the Middle Ages. One section is devoted to the history of Islam from the second half of the 18th to the beginning of the 21st century, and the other to the original book culture of the Tatar people.
Some of the museum's exhibits are multimedia. Visitors like to view the installation, which shows the history of the construction of the Kazan Kremlin.
The lounges are open to guests daily at 9:00 am to 7:30 pm. The ticket office stops working half an hour before closing. Admission for adults costs 200 rubles, and for university students and pensioners - 100 rubles. Visitors under the age of 18 are admitted free of charge.
Useful information for tourists
Kul Sharif has the status of the main cathedral juma mosque of the republic, the city of Kazan and covers an area of 19 thousand square meters. m. The spacious building accommodates 1,700 believers, and the area next to it - up to 10 thousand people.
Inside view of the dome of the mosque
It is interesting to look at the temple during the day and in the rays of the setting sun. Kul Sharif looks absolutely magical in the dark.The unusual night lighting completely transforms the building, and you can capture great footage as a keepsake.
The mosque is not only a functioning temple, but also a museum where many tourists come. In order not to disturb believers, excursions are conducted on observation balconies - to the left and right of the main hall. For a group of up to 20 people, the excursion costs 400 rubles.
Believers enter the mosque from the north - from the main prayer square. The museum is entered from the lower, southern platform.
Chandelier in the prayer hall
How to get there
The Kremlin is located in the city center, the easiest way to get there is by metro. The nearest station is "Kremlin". City buses and minibuses stop nearby. The mosque is located in the western part of the Kremlin.
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