Kebir-Jami Mosque, Simferopol, Mosque in Simferopol, Crimea

The Kebir-Jami Mosque is a house of prayer in Simferopol's old town with a single dome, minaret, and white chalk stone walls that shape its traditional appearance. The religious complex holds about 200 worshippers and includes prayer spaces alongside areas for study and a library dedicated to Crimean Tatar literature.

Dedicated in 1508 (914 AH) under Khan Meñli I Giray, it is Simferopol's oldest building; a 1990s restoration found a construction board giving 1502 as the consecration date. After World War II it served as a book-cover workshop. Returned to the Muslim community in 1989, it was restored from late October 1991, and on 12 July 1994 hosted the first conference of Crimea's Muslims, legitimizing the mufti's office.

The mosque has always been central to Crimean Tatar life and continues to serve as a gathering place for prayer and community activities. Visitors can observe how this space brings people together for both religious and social purposes.

The site sits in the old town and is easy to reach on foot, with the white facade and minaret visible from several streets. Visitors should expect that modest dress is required and that there may be specific visiting times for non-worshippers.

The Arabic inscription over the portal names Khan Meñli I Giray and dates the mosque to Muharram 914 AH, i.e. 1508. A building board found during early-1990s restoration work gives 914 AH (1502) as the consecration date and omits the architect's name. The white walls are thought to have given Aqmescit, the medieval town, its name.