The Moscow Grand Mosque is an architectural masterpiece and a unique monument that tells a long history of 115 years. The mosque, located near the center of the Russian capital Moscow on an area of ​​19 thousand square meters, one of the oldest mosques of the Russian capital Moscow, and the largest in Europe, was built in 1904 He underwent a 10-year renovation and expansion at a cost of $ 170 million with a complete renovation in 2015, which was inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the participation of a number of state leaders. "One of Moscow's oldest mosques has been rebuilt in its historic place."

The Moscow Grand Mosque, also known as the Moscow Grand Mosque, celebrated its 115th anniversary in September with more than 500 prominent guests from 50 countries. The mosque, which accommodates thousands of crowds of worshipers, after undergoing expansion and restoration, has become the largest mosque in Europe.

The story of the founding

The story of the founding of the Moscow Mosque, whose doors were never closed even during World Wars and the Russian Civil War in the 1930s, dates back to 1902, when some Tatar merchants decided to buy land to build a mosque that was completed two years later in 1904. One hundred years after its founding in 2004, a decision was made to restore it, which was supported by Putin and the mayor of Moscow at the time, and underwent a comprehensive renovation and expansion, which ended in 2015, at a cost of $ 170 million, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Roshan Abbasov.

6 floors

The mosque, which is one of the four main mosques in the capital Moscow, consists of six floors, and doubled to 19 thousand square meters, and is able to accommodate 10,000 worshipers, instead of 500 were absorbed by the mosque before the restoration.

The mosque, which is decorated with luxurious turquoise carpets and distinctive Islamic inscriptions and decorations, includes a lecture hall and a miniature museum called «Museum of Islam», displaying inside the glass boxes a collection of collectibles, including paintings and historical copies of the Koran handwritten, and a piece of clothing Kaaba honorable gift from the servant The Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, King of Saudi Arabia, in 2006, when he was Prince of the Riyadh region.

A kiss for Muslims

"This mosque was built in 1904, and since then it has not closed its doors to worshipers and visitors," Eldar Aliyev, director of the International Relations Department of the Muftis' Shura Council, told Emirates Today during a visit by the UAE media delegation to the Russian capital. Difficult circumstances that passed through Russia under the rule of the Soviet Union, and became a kiss for Muslims ».

He added: «We enjoy in the mosque the headquarters of the religious administration of the Muslims of the Russian Federation, which is working in various fields, such as educational, scientific and social, and others, and one of the countries that we deal with and cooperate intensively UAE, and in my opinion there is room for the Council of Muftis of Russia and the administration Religious to the Muslims of the Russian Federation to strengthen ways of cooperation in the interest of the two countries ».

"There is a Qur'anic field, there is cooperation, and God willing, there is more cooperation in the exchange of readers, preservation and arbitrators in the field of regional and international religious competitions," Aliyev said. Moderation, and the religion of tolerant principles that call for tolerance, and calls for good neighborliness, and in cooperation with our brothers in the UAE we look forward to more joint programs, and fruitful cooperation that will benefit the country and people ».

Leaders and leaders

It is noteworthy that the «Moscow Grand Mosque», known as «Moscow Mosque Mosque», was visited by a number of presidents of Arab and Islamic countries, including the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1958, President of Indonesia Ahmed Soekarno in 1956, and the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and Turkish presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, leaders of Chechnya and Tatarstan during the mosque's opening in 2015, other prominent figures, as well as foreign delegations.

Shura Council of Muftis

Since the establishment of the Moscow Grand Mosque, the international activities of the Mufti Shura Council began at the beginning of the 20th century. The international activity of Russian Muslims at the time of the Soviet Union was limited to meetings with delegations from the East, whose superiors wanted to know about the conditions of Muslims in the Soviet Union. Democratic Transformation International activities of Russian Muslims have become more systematic, and in 1994 the Religious Department of the Muslims of the European Section was established in Russia, which led to the establishment of the Foreign Relations Section, which played a major role in correcting and clarifying the spread of contradictory news in the international community, including For interfaith relations, and the relationship between Muslims and the Russian government. The Section undertook this task, as well as organizing the visits of external delegations, which were officially regular. Since the 1990s, Muslims in Russia have played a major role in Russian foreign policy, and one of their greatest achievements was Russia's observer status in the OIC in 2005.

Zayed Al Khair Course

A close relationship exists between the Mufti Council of Russia and the UAE, which is represented in various aspects of cooperation, including cooperation with the Dubai State Award for the Holy Quran.In 2018, the Dubai International Holy Quran Award announced sponsorship of the Moscow International Quran Competition at its session for the same year, and to provide half It has been dubbed the “Zayed Goodness Course”.

In 2016, the Dubai International Holy Quran Award was honored as the best international competitions in the field of the Holy Quran in the world, at the closing ceremony of the Moscow International Holy Quran Contest in its 17th session, and was honored at the same session as a guest of honor.

«UAE is a State of Tolerance»

The Director of the International Relations Department of the Council of Mufti of Russia, Eldar Aliyev, in an interview with «Emirates Today», noted the great role played by the UAE in spreading the culture of tolerance and working to promote it, and deepen the values ​​of tolerance, dialogue and acceptance of the other and openness to different cultures, which is embodied This year is clearly marked in its policy, and this year is designated as the Year of Tolerance, aiming to show it as a global capital of tolerance, an extension of the approach of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the state, who honored us by naming the 19th edition of the Moscow International Koran Competition in 2018. .

Yildar Aliyev:

• “We look forward to more joint programs and fruitful cooperation with our brothers in the UAE in the field of printing and exchange of valuable books that highlight Islam as the religion of moderation.”

 € المس The mosque did not close during the two world wars and the Russian civil war in the thirties of the last century.

• The mosque underwent a comprehensive renovation and expansion lasted for 10 years at a cost of $ 170 million.

• The year 1904 marked the construction of the mosque, which underwent full renovation in 2015.

• 19 thousand square meters area of ​​the mosque.