Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - Kazan Mosques Tour The beautiful city of Kazan sees a greater number of tourists each year. Famous for its amazing mosques with stunning minarets and Muslim architecture, the following tour will lead you to the city s most significant ones. Guide Location: Russia» Kazan # of Attractions: 9 Tour Duration: 4 hour(s) Travel Distance: 9.9 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the ios app "GPSmyCity: Walks and Articles with Offline Maps" on itunes App Store and the Android app "Kazan Map and Walks" on Google Play. The apps provide GPS navigation to guide you from one tour stop to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Kazan. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit gpsmycity.com for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Thousandth Anniversary of Islam Mosque B) Äcem Mosque C) Iske Tash Mosque D) Blue Mosque E) Bornay Mosque F) Märcani Mosque G) Nurulla Mosque H) Soltan Mosque I) Qolsharif Mosque Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -
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Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 - A) Thousandth Anniversary of Islam Mosque The Thousandth Anniversary of Islam Mosque, or Anniversary Mosque, was built to commemorate the thousandth anniversary of the Islamization of the Volga Bulgars in 922. Based on the design of Pechnikov from 1914, the mosque was built from 1924 to 1926 with private donations from Muslims. It was the only mosque built in the region during the Soviet period. Closed in the 1930s, it was eventually reopened for services in 1991. It is commonly referred to as the Mosque Across the Qaban, since most of Kazan's mosques are found on the other side of the Qaban where the Tatar community was traditionally located before the October Revolution. Address: Khadi Taktasha, 26, Kazan, Russia Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Артём Зеленовский. Sight description based on wikipedia B) Äcem Mosque Äcem Mosque, a prominent Kazan mosque, was constructed with funds donated by Mortaza Äcimev from 1887 to 1890 by an unknown architect. Built in a National Romance Eclectic architectural style, its minaret is 51 meters high. The building has two halls, is one story tall and the interior has traditional Oriental embellishments. From 1930 to 1992 the mosque was not used due to Soviet authorities. In 1990 restoration began and in 1992 it was returned to believers. Address: Fatkullina Street, 15, Kazan, Russia Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Untifler. Sight description based on wikipedia Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 -
Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - C) Iske Tash Mosque According to the old legend, Iske Tash Mosque was erected on the place of a communal grave of the fighting men who defended Kazan in 1552. The grave was marked by a big old stone (zur iske taş), which has been preserved in front of the east facade of the mosque for many years after its erection. The mosque was built in 1802 with donations of merchant Ğabdulla Ütämişev. In 1830 it was reconstructed according to the project of Alexander Schmidt. The mosque's façades were rebuilt in classicism traditions. Their strictness is accentuated by the minaret with three tiers set on a thick cross wall between the praying rooms. The minarets' shape is associated with the minarets in the ancient towns Bolghar and Kasimov. The mosque is two-storied, has two halls, the minaret is placed in the center of gable roof. Address: M.Gafuri Street, 34, Kazan, Russia Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Untifler. Sight description based on wikipedia D) Blue Mosque Blue Mosque is a monument to Tatar religious architecture and the stylistic forms of provincial Baroque. Built in 1819, it was closed by Soviet authorities in the 1930s and reopened for worship in 1993. Also known as the 4th Cathedral Mosque, this two-story mosque was built with the financial help of merchant Aitova-Zamanova. Its façades and interior combine a Baroque style with ornamental elements of Tatar decorative arts. The mosque has two prayer rooms and a three-story minaret. Address: Narimanov Street, 98, Kazan, Russia Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Ерней Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 -
Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - E) Bornay Mosque Funds for Bornay Mosque s construction were donated by Möxämmätsadíq Bornayıv and realized by the efforts of Pyotr Ivanovich Romanov in 1872. Built from red brick in a National Romance Eclectic style, its minaret was built in 1895, and is believed to have been designed by Fyodor Nikolayevich Malinovsky. Its interior is done in the medieval Tatar and Russian traditions. In 1930 Bornay Mosque was out of service due to Soviet authorities and in 1994 was returned to believers. Address: Ahtyamov Street, 7, Kazan, Russia Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Ерней. Sight description based on wikipedia F) Märcani Mosque After several decades of persecution of the Muslims in Imperial Russia the Märcani Mosque was the first mosque, built in Kazan. It is the oldest acting mosque in Tatarstan and it was the only mosque in Kazan that escaped closure during the Soviet period. The mosque was built in traditions of the Tatar medieval architecture combined with provincial baroque style, and it represents a typical Tatar mosque. The mosque is situated in the Old Tatar Quarter (İske Tatar Bistäse) of Kazan at the bank of the lake Qaban. Märcani Mosque is two-storied and has two halls. The interior is designed in The Petersburg Baroque style. In 1861 merchant İ. Ğ. Yunısov donated the addition of stairs, and in 1863 he donated the extension of mirhab and the breaching of new window. In that period the mosque was called Yunısovs' mosque after his family. In 1885 merchant Z. Ğosmanov donated the renovation of the minaret. In 1887 merchants W. Ğizzätullin and M. Wälişin added the tracery balcony to the minaret. The mosque is currently named after Tatar scholar Şihabetdin Märcani who worked there as imam since 1850. Address: Kayuma Nasiri Street, 17, Kazan, Russia Image Courtesy of Flickr and Sergey Yeliseev. Sight description based on wikipedia Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -
Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 - G) Nurulla Mosque Nurulla Mosque, built from 1845 to 1849 with the donations of merchant Ğ.M. Yunısov by A.K. Loman, has two stories, a hall with cupola and a three-story minaret over the southern entrance. Its decorative elements are similar to those of medieval Volga Bulgaria and the Middle East. In 1929 the minaret was destroyed, and until 1992 the mosque was used for apartments and offices. In 1992 it was renamed Nurullah and returned to believers. Restoration took place between 1990 and 1995, overseen by R. W. Bilalov, and the minaret was also restored. Address: Parizhskoy Kommuny, Kazan, Russia Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Untifler. Sight description based on wikipedia H) Soltan Mosque Soltan Mosque, also called the Eighth Cathedral Mosque or Red Mosque, was built in 1867 from the donation of a rich merchant. It is one of Kazan s small mosques, with one hall and a ground-based minaret three stories high. A monument to Tatar religious architecture, it combines Tatar-Bolghar medieval with a National Romance style. Address: Tukai Street, 14/19, Kazan, Russia Image Courtesy of Flickr and Maarten (Superchango). Sight description based on wikipedia I) Qolsharif Mosque (must see) The Qolşärif mosque in Kazan Kremlin, was reputed to be - at the time of its construction - the largest mosque in Russia, and in Europe outside of Istanbul. Originally, the mosque was built in the Kazan Kremlin in the 16th century. It was named after Qolşärif who served there. Qolsharif died with his numerous students while defending Kazan from Russian forces in 1552. It is believed that the building featured minarets, both in the form of cupolas and tents. Its design was traditional for Volga Bulgaria, although Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 -
Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 - elements of early Renaissance and Ottoman architecture could have been used as well. Qolsharif is considered to be one of the most important symbols of Tatar aspirations. Nowadays the mosque predominantly serves as a Museum of Islam. At the same time during the major Muslim celebrations thousands of people gather there to pray. The Qolsharif complex was envisioned to be an important cornerstone of Kazan's architectural landscape. Besides the main mosque building it includes a library, publishing house and Imam's office. Address: Kremlin, Kazan, Russia Image Courtesy of Flickr and hadoken. Sight description based on wikipedia Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 -