The Yarmarka Mosque was a Muslim house of worship that existed in Nizhny Novgorod from 1817 to 1930 on the grounds of the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka. The stone Empire-style building was erected in 1827 and formed part of the architectural ensemble of the Makaryev Yarmarka; in the Soviet period the mosque was closed and demolished. In 2023, work began on its reconstruction.[1][3]
History
Muslim merchants traded at the Makaryev Yarmarka, held beside the walls of the monastery of the same name, as early as the 17th century; there was a large Muslim quarter that operated during the yarmarka season. After the yarmarka was moved to Nizhny Novgorod in the early 19th century, a wooden prayer house first appeared on its grounds (1817), followed by a stone building (1827) designed by the architect Anton Leer.[1][3] Construction was financed in part from the state treasury by decree of Emperor Nicholas II.[3] The mosque stood on Magometanskaya Square by the embankment of the Betancourt Canal and held the status of a cathedral mosque in the city.[1][3]
In 1859 the building was damaged by a fire at the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka and was restored within two years. In 1930 the mosque was officially closed and demolished.[1]
Architecture
The building was a two-story rotunda mosque with a central minaret, built in the Empire style. This round brick structure of centralized composition had rectangular projections (risalits) with triangular pediments on its western and eastern sides; the entrance was accented by a four-column portico of the Tuscan order. The prayer hall was located on the second floor, which was reached by staircases on both sides leading up from the first-floor vestibule. A two-tiered minaret rose from the center of the conical roof, topped by a tall hexagonal spire; the stepped tiers of the minaret took the form of truncated four-sided pyramids. The second tier featured a circular balcony with a lattice railing and cubic posts. The facades were decorated with rustication, semicircular niches, pilasters, and modillions.[1]
Leer's design received the status of a model project: by decree of Nicholas I of May 29, 1829, it was recommended for use in the construction of mosques throughout Russia.[1][3]
Reconstruction
On July 9, 2023, a cornerstone-laying ceremony for the mosque being rebuilt at the Yarmarka took place in Nizhny Novgorod. Those taking part in the event included the chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation, Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin; the Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gleb Nikitin; the chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gayaz Zakirov; the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Vasil Shaykhraziev; the head of Nizhny Novgorod, Yuri Shalabaev; as well as religious figures and believers from Russian regions.[3] The initiative was linked to preparations for the 1100th anniversary of the official adoption of Islam by the peoples of Volga Bulgaria. According to the plan, construction is expected to take about four years; funding is to come from sponsorship donations.[3]
Literature
- Shumilkin S. M. Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka. Nizhny Novgorod, 1996.
- Senyutkina O. N., Zagidullin I. K. The Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka Mosque: A Center of Interaction for Russian and Foreign Muslims (19th – Early 20th Centuries). Nizhny Novgorod: Publishing House of the Nizhny Novgorod Islamic Madrasa "Makhinur", 2005. — 182 pp.[2]
Sources
- tatarica.org — The Yarmarka Mosque — Tatar Encyclopedia TATARICA (archive)
- tataroved.ru — The Turkic-Tatar World: O. N. Senyutkina, I. K. Zagidullin. The Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka Mosque: A Center of Interaction for Russian and Foreign Muslims — (19th (archive)
- nobl.ru — The Yarmarka Mosque Is Being Revived in Nizhny Novgorod — Official Website of the Government of Nizhny Novgorod Region (archive)