At the end of August 2024, Rais of Tatarstan and Chairman of the GSV “Russia - Islamic World” Rustam Minnikhanov, State Councilor of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev and Mufti of Tatarstan Kamil Samigullin visited the Al-Marjani Mosque in connection with the completion of the restoration of the religious building. The restoration of the First Cathedral Mosque of Kazan emphasizes the systematic nature of Tatarstan's activities to preserve historical memory. A careful attitude to own architectural heritage is a significant factor in the development of any nation.
It is important not only to preserve historical and cultural monuments, but also to integrate them into the life of modern society. Tatarstan's rich experience in this area already includes an unprecedented project of revival of Great Bolgar and the island-city of Sviyazhsk, which has received high marks from the world community. Today, the facades of "Al-Marjani", built in the 18th century, have been returned to their historical appearance in the Baroque style: the decor, cornices and rods, windows and decorative and artistic metal products have been restored. At the same time, the ventilation and heating systems have been replaced, the water supply and power supply networks of the mosque have been updated.
The opening of the mosque after restoration was also attended by the mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, Chairman of the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites Ivan Gushchin and Imam-Khatyb of "Al-Marjani" Mansur Dzhalaletdinov, who has held this position since 1995. In the book by Tatar historians Radik Salikhov and Ramil Khairutdinov “Historical Mosques of Kazan”, published in 2005, Mansur Hazrat notes the historical continuity between different generations of Kazan Muslims, which is preserved in “Al-Marjani” thanks to its visits by elderly people whose fathers and grandfathers also prayed here.
The history of Al-Marjani gives this mosque the status of a special architectural monument, which, centuries later, continues to fulfill its functional task. The title of one of the bright symbols of Kazan Islam, forming the unique national color of the city, justifies the fact that even during the years of Soviet atheistic propaganda, Al-Marjani remained open to parishioners. Men leaving for the Great Patriotic War read dua in the mosque; here they collected aid for the front and helped families. Nowadays, parishioners have organized a workshop where they make camouflage nets and trench candles necessary for the fighters of the SMO.
The Al-Marjani Mosque is a must-see when visiting the Old Tatar Quarter. The interest of guests to the capital of Tatarstan is the result of the reconstruction process of the historical center of Kazan, in which the public and government bodies have been participating since the beginning of the 21st century. Tourists from all over the world can see the personification of an important stage in the development of Russia as a multinational and multi-confessional state.
"Al-Marjani" was the first stone mosque built in Kazan after its annexation to Russia by Ivan the Terrible. The mosque was built thanks to money raised by the citizens of Kazan, but the decisive factor for its construction was the decree of Empress Catherine II, which declared a tolerant attitude towards various religious confessions in Russia. The artistic design of "Al-Marjani " is a synthesis of provincial baroque and elements of national decorative art, with a single minaret rising from the roof of the building, historically characteristic of Tatar mosques.
When the mosque was being built, the city authorities considered the minaret too high. They expressed their dissatisfaction to Catherine II by writing her a letter which contained the following: "Even though you gave the Muslims permission to build mosques, they are building them very high". To this, "Ebi-patsha" (an affectionate nickname invented by Muslims for Catherine II, meaning "kind grandmother-queen") replied that “I have assigned them a place on earth, and they are free to ascend to heaven at their own discretion, because heaven is not part of my domain”.
The rich history of architectural heritage can not only attract tourists, but also prove that wise and generous decisions of government officials can unite people. Thus, the central community of the Muslim part of Kazan was formed around the former First Cathedral Mosque. The mosque is especially significant due to the fact that in 1850-1889 its imam-khatyb was the famous Tatar scholar, educator and theologian Shigabutdin Marjani, whose merits are noted in the world history of Islam.
Shigabutdin Marjani became the standard-bearer of the struggle for enlightenment and freethinking for his era. He was the first to contribute to the development of the national consciousness of the Kazan Tatars. Marjani laid the foundations for the study and understanding of Islamic doctrine in the spirit of the New Age, insisting on Muslims studying the Quran and Hadith. The educator tirelessly called on shakirds to independently search for answers to the questions of human existence that troubled them.
Since 1770, the Marjaniya madrasah (today the Kazan Islamic College) has been operating at the mosque, where Tatar youth received both religious and secular education. At one time, the madrasah's graduates included the political and religious figure Gabdulla Apanaev, ethnographer and educator Kayum Nasyri, poet Abrar Sagidi, composer Salikh Saidashev and Bolshevik Khusain Yamashev.
At the beginning of the 21st century, on the mosque and the building of the former madrasah were carried out a series of restoration works under the leadership of Imam-Khatyb Mansur Hazrat Dzhalaletdin. Today, Al-Marjani, which has united all the Muslims of the city since its foundation, has once again received a second wind. Of course, future guests of the capital of Tatarstan, who will come to Kazan as part of the BRICS summit, will be interested in looking at Al-Marjani not only as a historical monument, but also as a symbol of Russia's tolerant policy, which continues to flourish after centuries.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the Rais RT