Moscow: On the eve of the Muslim holy feast of Eid al-Adha, re-opening ceremony of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, with the President of the Russian Federation and foreign leaders is scheduled in September 2015.
In the year of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory over fascism of our people, through 111 years after its opening, a renewed Moscow Cathedral Mosque – the Main, by definition of President Vladimir Putin, in Russia Mosque reopens the doors of prayer rooms for Muslim believers, for guests from around the world.
Start of forming the Muslim community of Moscow dates from the early Middle Ages. The evidence became extant Tatar names of streets, historic buildings farmsteads, Arab and Turkish embassies. To 1894 refers the application by the Second Imam of Muslim parish Bedretdinov Alimov for permission to organize a mosque in the northern parts of the then Moscow. Long correspondence ended in a compromise: the authorities gave the green light to build a mosque on private land in the alley Vypolzov, which in 1902 had been bought for this purpose by Kasimov Tatars entrepreneurs H.M. Baibekov, H.H. Akbulatov and S.V. Bakirov; for these purposes, they spent 35 thousand rubles.
These funds, as well as the means of the Tatar businessman and philanthropist Salih Erzin, Moscow Cathedral Mosque was built in 1904. S.Y. Erzin – born in the village Azeev, now the Ryazan region. The first imam of the mosque came from a famous family of the village of Nizhny Novgorod ishans Ovechy Ovrag, Bedretdin Alimov and his son Safa Alimov.
The mosque was a sample of the Tatar religious architecture of the early XX century. Prayer hall was designed for 800 people during the holiday services over 1,000 worshipers were praying inside the mosque. The mosque, even in the harshest years of persecution of religion was not closed a single day, although the millstones of repressions hit imams Abdulvadud Fattakhiddin and Abdullah Suleiman. Moscow Cathedral Mosque remembers such prominent ulems and muftis like Galimzhan Baroudi, Rizaetdin Fakhretdin, Musa Bigiyev and others.
The Mosque on Vypolzov lane for many decades was the only Muslim working temple on the vast expanses of the Central European part of Russia. From Moscow mosque Muslims went to the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, the funds were organized to raise a tank column.
It was on the basis of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque leading Muslim organizations of modern Russia, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation and the Council of Muftis of Russia were set up, which is chaired by Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin.
With the increase of number of Muslim worshipers from both the number of Russian citizens and migrant workers, the Russian capital witnessed many thousands of clusters of believers in the days of Friday and Eid prayers. Suffice it to note that during the major Muslim holidays of Uraza bairam and Kurban bairam in the mosque, on the adjacent territory and surrounding streets come 100 thousand Muslims and more.
The mosque, built sometime in record time without a foundation, with plywood floors, due to repeated increase in load began to collapse.
Under the leadership of Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin a grandiose project of reconstruction of the building the mosque and its extension has been implemented. It was approved and supported by the Russia President Vladimir Putin and number of senior political and religious leaders of the world.
Under the project, the total area of the mosque after reconstruction is 18 900 square meters (before the reconstruction of the mosque area was equal to 964 square meters).
This beautiful six-story mosque, equipped with seven lifts and everything necessary for the parishioners, as well as equipment for people with disabilities.
The height of the dome is 46 meters, and diameter – 27 meters. Available space in the mosque will fit up to 10 thousand worshipers at a time.
Many believers have contributed to the construction of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, sacrificing their personal funds. Their names are written in the Golden Book of Memory mosque.