Description of the attraction
The Blue Mosque, or the Fourth Cathedral, is located in the Old Tatar settlement of Kazan. The mosque got its name - "Blue" - thanks to the color of the walls.
The stone mosque was built in 1815-1819 on the site of a wooden mosque that had previously stood here. The wooden mosque was founded in 1778. At that time, she was the fourth in a row in the city. The mosque community consisted of the poorest townspeople who lived in this part of the Tatar Sloboda. In 1815, the wooden mosque was dismantled and transported to a new location - to the village of Suiksu. In its place, the construction of a new brick mosque was started. The funds for the construction were donated by the merchant Aitov-Zamanov. He spared no expense for the construction, although he himself lived in another area, in the mahalla of the First Cathedral Mosque.
The building of the mosque was built in the old classical style: a portico with four pilasters, a facade with three windows topped with a triangular pediment (now lost) with a semicircular window.
In 1864, the merchant Mustakimov expanded the mosque at the expense of his land. He also surrounded the mosque with a fence designed by the architect Romanov. In 1907, the merchant Ishmuratov enlarged the mosque again: a two-story annex was made to the southern facade, instead of a rectangular mihrab, a semicircular one was made and the storage room was expanded.
The minaret of the mosque was three-tiered, octahedral and located in the center of the roof. Its base rested on a thick wall dividing the halls. Inside the wall was a staircase to the minaret. The entrance to the mosque was from the north side. Warehouses and utility rooms were located in the premises of the first floor. The halls on the second floor were accessed by a staircase located on the right side of the vestibule. The halls formed a suite.
The mosque was closed in 1930. The minaret of the mosque was destroyed. The building was rebuilt for housing.
In 1993, the building was returned to the community of believers. Currently, the mosque is active. It is being restored - the previously lost minaret has already been restored. The building is an object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation.
