Kokkoz Jami Mosque, Islamic religious site in Sokolyne, Crimea.
Kokkoz Jami Mosque is a rectangular prayer house with Islamic architecture located in Sokolyne. The building displays Arabic inscriptions on its walls, features two rows of pointed arch windows, and is topped by a clay tile roof with an adjacent minaret tower.
The building was designed and built in 1910 by architect Nikolay Krasnov for Prince Felix Yusupov, who had it constructed near his hunting lodge. This foundation reflects connections between Russian nobility and the development of religious structures in the region.
The village was called Kökköz before it was renamed Sokolyne after the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars; in Crimean Tatar the word means "blue-eyed", from kök (blue) and köz (eye), though English sources gloss it as "falcon". The mosque takes its name from that village, and since 1997 it has again served the Crimean Tatar community as a working mosque.
The mosque stands in Sokolyne, the village formerly called Kökköz, beside the site of Prince Yusupov's former hunting lodge. The rectangular prayer hall measures 15 by 12 metres, with the minaret as a separate structure next to the main building. It is a regional cultural heritage monument, so visitors should treat the Arabic wall inscriptions and lancet windows with care.
The building served many different functions during the 20th century, including storage warehouse, community clubhouse, and even cinema, before returning to religious use. This shifting history shows how the purpose of structures can change during times of political and social upheaval.
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