Information
- Location
- East Kazakhstan Region, Semey city
- Period
- 1856 – 1862
- Category
- Historical and cultural monuments of republican significance
- Type
- Mosque
- Kind
- Monuments of urban planning and architecture
Sources
- Album of historical and cultural objects and places of general pilgrimage of Kazakhstan. - Astana: KazSRIC, 2018. - 496 pages.
Description
The mosque was built in 1856–1862. at the expense of Semipalatinsk merchants. The design features of Turkish mosques were taken as the basis of the project. The structure is a rectangular structure with one dome and two minarets. The plan dimensions are 16.5 x 32.5 m, the height is about 30 m, including the minarets. The facade is decorated with ornate semi-columns with stucco capitals. The windows are framed. there is a stucco cornice along the perimeter. The interior is finished with columns, horizontal rods. There is a color painting in yellow-green color with sayings from the Koran along the perimeter of the dome part. The mihrab is oriented towards the holy Muslim city of Mecca. The image and description of the mosque were included in the album with information about large mosques, published in 1914 for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. During the Soviet period, the mosque was closed, but the building was protected as an architectural monument. Since 1975, an exhibition hall has been located in the mosque building. In 1995, the mosque was handed over to believers and has been used for its intended purpose since that time. In 2002, the building was overhauled. In 2007, the restoration of the mosque was carried out at the expense of the State program “Cultural Heritage”. There are many legends and stories associated with the mosque. According to one of them, under the mosque there are secret underground passages that connected the mullah's house with the mosque, where according to legend, the mullah's unique library with ancient religious books is hidden. Today, the mosque functions for its intended purpose.