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Kul Sharif Mosque


History


The construction of the mosque started in 1996. The aim of the architects and builders was to recreate the ancient mosque of the Kazan Khanate. The traditional mosque with many minarets was destroyed by the troops of Ivan the Terrible during the storming of Kazan in 1552. They named a mosque in honor of her last Imam. He was one of the leaders of the defense of Kazan.

This project sees the reconstruction of one of the most important historic mosques in the Khanate of Kazan, on the western side of the Kazan Kremlin. It sets a new scale of development within the ancient city its substantial external contour has been developed in proportion to the key monuments of the Kremlin panorama. Set on a massive podium, the shape of the structure is based on an eight point star. There are two large courtyards and the main prayer hall is a large, domed space, richly decorated. The building of the mosque is seen as a symbol of the revival of the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Tatar people.

Urban and Architectural



Description


One of the most worshiped and legendary mosques in Kazan Khanate were the mosque named in honour of Imam Seid Kul Sharif – prominent figure in the history of the Tatar people, most educated of his time, a poet and social activist, deep intellect and experience, diplomat and influential public and respected religious agent as absolute spiritual Muslim leader of Kazan Khanate. During the tragic events of 1552 head of defended shakirds (medresse pupil) group heroically died like a real warrior in walls of the grand mosque.

In accordance with the dated November 13, 1955 Decree by President Mintimer Shaimiev to reconstruct the mosque on the territory of Kazan Kremlin as synthesizing an Islamic revival ideals in actual Tatar culture – in western part – in the backyard of the former cadet military school.Turn of Volga throughout 12 – 15 km above and below a current is focused as dominating on white stone walls podium by the Kremlin in a city landscape of Kazan, - vertical reference points of a city citadel panorama dictate оrdered on scale to a mosque`s composition context, keeping planning weight of the Kazan historical centre on all four hundred square kilometres space of a modern city territory.

Near visual corridors – such as street Kremlin, New Kremlin, Big Red, Karl Marx, Nagornaja, Dzerzhinsky, Fairground and etc. – initiate planning an optimum binding of object in live space of the historical centre.Marble colors mosques have been chosen for achievement of color modulations tiny nuances – a successful combination of warm shades marble - ivory or settled lime honey, - any "as though" defects of marble are positive to a plan by similarity with propolis particles - the address of the Volga region and republic is unambiguously supported.

 Town-planning landing octagonal in a court yard of the former Junkersky school harmoniously combines two orientations – on a sacral axis on Kaaba and a direction on an extended axis of the case coinciding with parts of the world- in massive mosque podium. Two court yard platforms used as upper ritual sacral and lower for museum–excursion activities. On the basis of an eight-final star – typical and characteristic ornamental motive «a square in a square» - geometrical analogue of topological base "Bismilla" - the projection of the allocated contour finds qualities and signs consecrated at position of this figure on a surface of the earth - each of eight parties of a figure were builded in a vertical projection in the form of arches (Turkic - the tired out back) at mutual crossing formed complete and central volume of the future mosque.

The same figure «a square in a square» – in an internal contour from internal corners – has formed a tectonic skeleton of the future dome arch –which construction is unique with domes support on 8 tops crossed ferro-concrete monolithic arches, and building walls do not perceive hold-apart loadings from dome weight.

The external contour of a mosque is formed by eight direct angular projections, developed to each other at an angle of 135 degrees – all of them on a substantial scale and in dimensions are proportional to key accents of the Kremlin panorama in value «a signal – a background», and on four of which – on parts of the world – verticals of the basic minarets are located.

Under legends of doubtful but often quoted sources the historical prototype had eight minarets, two averages from which direct the basic sacral axis on Kaaba, two – small – form an alignment of an entrance mosque portal – peshtak. Arch contours bear sacred suras and ayats of Koran, the general layout model and a great skill of the dead hattat of Kul Sharif mosque – the Afghani calligrapher Mahmud Mirza Ali - allows both complete perusal, and ambivalent partitioning of the initial sacral message on integral semantic text fragments – an arch as a whole, the top segments, and parts in formed by crossing of arches among themselves elements 135 degrees outlines – symbolically and formally identical combined in characteristic for Islam prayful gesture to palms. Coverings and roofs of such elements form the configurations very close to ethnic sign of nomadic people of Don and Volga – a tulip, in coverings of the big minarets reminding ready to be dismissed buds.

The mosque has four levels – lower stilobate-podium used as Islam Museum, women hall and dressing rooms, ablution halls, administrative and technical rooms, - in ground floor there are men hall dressing rooms, Imams private office. Prayers hall for 720 men and women gallery level for 300 women locate in first and second floor.

The construction of a mosque from the monolithic ferro-concrete – loadings are distributed on arch frames in regular intervals and transferred to the basis only in knots of an external protecting contour of a building – the interlacing of arch beams forms the freakish at the same time rigid basis of a dome basic ring – the natural beauty of such tectonic model is so elegantly expressive and spatially rich, plastically elegant and is on a substantial scale harmonious – that necessity for excessive and objectionable great wisdom of the Founder of vain scenery would be excessive - but the people maintained the test for an art maturity in atmosphere of preparation for anniversary of a city – and hastened .

 The arch niches are decorated with the medallions in the technoloque of mosaic with the names of honored prophets in the Koran : Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammad. On the top of the stained glass windows, under the canvas of the dome space and on dome itself there are 99 epithets of the God, made of smalt, coated with gold leaf. Around the ring of the dome s prop there is Surah Gimran made of smalt. On the four corners of the praying hall on the level of women s gallery there are four shamails with surahs from the Koran. The praying hall is lightened by a central crystal chandelier, 9 meters in height and 5 meter in diameter. The Mihrab s dome is decorated by ornamenyal composition looking like flowers branches interlaced with each other and symbolizing paradise gardens (Firdaus). On the bottom level there is the Islam museum, where the exposition of Islam history on the territory of Russia and Tatarstan is represented.

In the mosque interior there are also widely used wood engravings, leather patchworkembroidery and other types of ornamental and artistic decoration, continuing the rich tradition of arts and crafts of the Tatar people.

 

References


https://archnet.org/publications/2221

Details

Location

Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, 420010

Owners

National Museum «The Kazan Kremlin»

Year of Build

2005

Area

1,051 m2

Drawings

Map

History

The construction of the mosque started in 1996. The aim of the architects and builders was to recreate the ancient mosque of the Kazan Khanate. The traditional mosque with many minarets was destroyed by the troops of Ivan the Terrible during the storming of Kazan in 1552. They named a mosque in honor of her last Imam. He was one of the leaders of the defense of Kazan.

This project sees the reconstruction of one of the most important historic mosques in the Khanate of Kazan, on the western side of the Kazan Kremlin. It sets a new scale of development within the ancient city its substantial external contour has been developed in proportion to the key monuments of the Kremlin panorama. Set on a massive podium, the shape of the structure is based on an eight point star. There are two large courtyards and the main prayer hall is a large, domed space, richly decorated. The building of the mosque is seen as a symbol of the revival of the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Tatar people.

Urban and Architectural


Description

One of the most worshiped and legendary mosques in Kazan Khanate were the mosque named in honour of Imam Seid Kul Sharif – prominent figure in the history of the Tatar people, most educated of his time, a poet and social activist, deep intellect and experience, diplomat and influential public and respected religious agent as absolute spiritual Muslim leader of Kazan Khanate. During the tragic events of 1552 head of defended shakirds (medresse pupil) group heroically died like a real warrior in walls of the grand mosque.

In accordance with the dated November 13, 1955 Decree by President Mintimer Shaimiev to reconstruct the mosque on the territory of Kazan Kremlin as synthesizing an Islamic revival ideals in actual Tatar culture – in western part – in the backyard of the former cadet military school.Turn of Volga throughout 12 – 15 km above and below a current is focused as dominating on white stone walls podium by the Kremlin in a city landscape of Kazan, - vertical reference points of a city citadel panorama dictate оrdered on scale to a mosque`s composition context, keeping planning weight of the Kazan historical centre on all four hundred square kilometres space of a modern city territory.

Near visual corridors – such as street Kremlin, New Kremlin, Big Red, Karl Marx, Nagornaja, Dzerzhinsky, Fairground and etc. – initiate planning an optimum binding of object in live space of the historical centre.Marble colors mosques have been chosen for achievement of color modulations tiny nuances – a successful combination of warm shades marble - ivory or settled lime honey, - any "as though" defects of marble are positive to a plan by similarity with propolis particles - the address of the Volga region and republic is unambiguously supported.

 Town-planning landing octagonal in a court yard of the former Junkersky school harmoniously combines two orientations – on a sacral axis on Kaaba and a direction on an extended axis of the case coinciding with parts of the world- in massive mosque podium. Two court yard platforms used as upper ritual sacral and lower for museum–excursion activities. On the basis of an eight-final star – typical and characteristic ornamental motive «a square in a square» - geometrical analogue of topological base "Bismilla" - the projection of the allocated contour finds qualities and signs consecrated at position of this figure on a surface of the earth - each of eight parties of a figure were builded in a vertical projection in the form of arches (Turkic - the tired out back) at mutual crossing formed complete and central volume of the future mosque.

The same figure «a square in a square» – in an internal contour from internal corners – has formed a tectonic skeleton of the future dome arch –which construction is unique with domes support on 8 tops crossed ferro-concrete monolithic arches, and building walls do not perceive hold-apart loadings from dome weight.

The external contour of a mosque is formed by eight direct angular projections, developed to each other at an angle of 135 degrees – all of them on a substantial scale and in dimensions are proportional to key accents of the Kremlin panorama in value «a signal – a background», and on four of which – on parts of the world – verticals of the basic minarets are located.

Under legends of doubtful but often quoted sources the historical prototype had eight minarets, two averages from which direct the basic sacral axis on Kaaba, two – small – form an alignment of an entrance mosque portal – peshtak. Arch contours bear sacred suras and ayats of Koran, the general layout model and a great skill of the dead hattat of Kul Sharif mosque – the Afghani calligrapher Mahmud Mirza Ali - allows both complete perusal, and ambivalent partitioning of the initial sacral message on integral semantic text fragments – an arch as a whole, the top segments, and parts in formed by crossing of arches among themselves elements 135 degrees outlines – symbolically and formally identical combined in characteristic for Islam prayful gesture to palms. Coverings and roofs of such elements form the configurations very close to ethnic sign of nomadic people of Don and Volga – a tulip, in coverings of the big minarets reminding ready to be dismissed buds.

The mosque has four levels – lower stilobate-podium used as Islam Museum, women hall and dressing rooms, ablution halls, administrative and technical rooms, - in ground floor there are men hall dressing rooms, Imams private office. Prayers hall for 720 men and women gallery level for 300 women locate in first and second floor.

The construction of a mosque from the monolithic ferro-concrete – loadings are distributed on arch frames in regular intervals and transferred to the basis only in knots of an external protecting contour of a building – the interlacing of arch beams forms the freakish at the same time rigid basis of a dome basic ring – the natural beauty of such tectonic model is so elegantly expressive and spatially rich, plastically elegant and is on a substantial scale harmonious – that necessity for excessive and objectionable great wisdom of the Founder of vain scenery would be excessive - but the people maintained the test for an art maturity in atmosphere of preparation for anniversary of a city – and hastened .

 The arch niches are decorated with the medallions in the technoloque of mosaic with the names of honored prophets in the Koran : Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammad. On the top of the stained glass windows, under the canvas of the dome space and on dome itself there are 99 epithets of the God, made of smalt, coated with gold leaf. Around the ring of the dome s prop there is Surah Gimran made of smalt. On the four corners of the praying hall on the level of women s gallery there are four shamails with surahs from the Koran. The praying hall is lightened by a central crystal chandelier, 9 meters in height and 5 meter in diameter. The Mihrab s dome is decorated by ornamenyal composition looking like flowers branches interlaced with each other and symbolizing paradise gardens (Firdaus). On the bottom level there is the Islam museum, where the exposition of Islam history on the territory of Russia and Tatarstan is represented.

In the mosque interior there are also widely used wood engravings, leather patchworkembroidery and other types of ornamental and artistic decoration, continuing the rich tradition of arts and crafts of the Tatar people.