Chelyabinsk Mosque, Religious landmark in central Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Chelyabinsk Mosque is a religious building in the city center with white walls and a tall minaret rising above the roofline. The structure combines Islamic design elements with local architectural features, creating a recognizable landmark in the urban landscape.
Construction ran from 1890 to 1899 on a plot on Asiatic Street, today Yelkin Street 16, donated by the merchant Zakir Galeev. While the brick building rose, believers prayed in a temporary wooden mosque in 1894–1896. The first muezzin, Iskhak Khusainov, was elected in 1896, and the mosque opened in 1899.
The mosque serves as a gathering place where prayers happen regularly and Islamic holidays like Eid are celebrated together. It holds deep meaning for generations of local Muslim residents who gather here for spiritual life and community events.
The mosque stands at 16 Yelkin Street in the Central District, on the block once called Asiatic Street where Tatar and Bashkir families lived. The single-storey plastered building has a light blue facade, a four-tier octagonal minaret topped by a spired dome, and round balconies on its two upper tiers. The regional Spiritual Board of Muslims and the mufti's residence are housed here, and beginner courses in Islam and Arabic script run on Sundays.
The mosque's library, opened in 1906, became today's Bashkir and Tatar Literature Library. In 1922 imam-akhun Salimzyan Urmanov raised money for famine relief, but was sentenced to four years in 1924 for not paying tax on zakat funds. From the mid-1980s the building served as a warehouse, losing its dome and part of its minaret before restoration.
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