Saint Petersburg Mosque

The Saint Petersburg Mosque (Russian: Санкт - Петербургская мечеть ) was at its opening in 1913, the largest mosque in Europe; its minarets reach a height of 49 meters, the dome is 39 meters high. The mosque is located in the city center of Saint Petersburg on Kronwerkski prospectus, the turquoise dome is visible from the Trinity bridge over the Neva away. It can accommodate up to 5,000 worshipers and was until 2009 the only Islamic house of worship in the city.

History

The foundation stone was laid in 1910, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the reign of Abdul Ahat Khan in Bukhara. At this time the number of members of the Muslim community was more than 8000, the architect Nikolai Vasilyev addressed in the design of the mosque after Gur - Emir Mausoleum, the tomb of Timur Lang in Samarkand.; other participating architects were Stepan Krichinsky and Alexander Ivanovich of Gauguin ( also Gogen and Alexander von Hohen ). The construction was completed in 1921, a major restoration was carried out in 1980. The mosque was closed from 1940 to 1956 for visitors.