Leningrad Memorial Mosque, Islamic mosque in Kolomyagi, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The Leningrad Memorial Mosque stands on Parashyutnaya Street in the Kolomyagi district, with a 23-metre dome topped by a crescent reaching 26 metres and a 39-metre minaret whose crescent brings the total to 41.3 metres. The ground floor of about 500 square metres holds a prayer hall for a thousand men, while women pray on the second-floor balcony; a two-storey administrative building is part of the complex. The main entrance faces north.
The quarter mosque was commissioned by the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Saint Petersburg and the North-West Region for believers in the Primorsky and Vyborg districts; deputy Galina Starovoitova helped secure the site, and the construction decree was issued in April 2005. The foundation was laid on 25 June 2006 during the citywide Sabantuy festival, with a capsule bearing a Quranic verse placed under the mihrab. Built by contractor Profil on donations, it opened on 16 July 2009 and was later named after Mufti Zhafyar Ponchaev, who initiated the project and led the city's Muslim community for 35 years.
The mosque is named after Jafar-hazrat Ponchaev, mufti of Saint Petersburg and the North-West region for 35 years, who initiated its construction; it was dedicated to him after his death in 2012. It hosts the All-Russian Quran recitation competitions and a city children's Quran recitation contest. The first floor, about 500 sq m, is for men and the second-floor balcony for women.
The mosque welcomes visitors outside of prayer times when you should remove your shoes and dress appropriately, including a head covering for women. Checking prayer times beforehand helps you plan your visit and avoid disrupting worshippers during services.
The wooden carved mihrab pointing toward Mecca was made by craftsmen from Turkey, and a capsule with a Quranic verse was placed in the foundation beneath it at the laying ceremony on 25 June 2006, held during the citywide Sabantuy festival. The mosque is named after Jafar Ponchaev, mufti of Saint Petersburg and the Northwest region, who initiated the construction and led the Muslim community for 35 years.
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