The Seventh Cathedral or Sennaya Mosque has been decorating the center of Kazan since the middle of the 19th century. Like other temples of the city, it was built with the money of Kazan merchants and industrialists. A two-story building and a slender minaret appeared in the shopping district of Kazan thanks to the Yunusov family of merchants.
Temple history
Merchants have always played a prominent role in the life of the city. Gubaidulla Mukhametrakhimovich Yunusov was one of the richest traders in Kazan. The merchant of the 1st guild helped the local Muslim community a lot and therefore was respected among the Tatars. When GM Yunusov died, his sons, Ibrahim and Iskhak, with the money bequeathed by their father, began to build a new mosque.
The project of the temple was prepared by the architect of the Kazan Provincial Construction Commission Alexander Karlovich Loman. The architect took the model design of the mosque of 1844 as the basis for the plan.
The first services in the temple were held in 1849. By this time, the Old Tatar settlement was an inhabited place. A lively market worked in the settlement, there were craft workshops, educational institutions and inns where visiting merchants spent the night. The facade of the building overlooked Sennaya Square - a noisy shopping center of the settlement, so the mosque was called "Sennaya".
The parish united the residents of Moskovskaya and Sennaya streets. At the beginning of the last century, there were 29 households with 270 male souls. The Muslim temple was supported by interest from a merchant's contribution of 12 thousand rubles in a branch of the Kama-Volzhsky Bank in Kazan. In addition, the mosque received money from the rent of retail space.
Since 1890, for 18 years, Gabdulla Abdulkarimovich Apanaev was the imam of the temple. In addition to the duties of a priest, he did a lot of social work and published the newspaper "Azat".
In 1929, the Kazan authorities closed the Sennaya Mosque for believers. The minaret was dismantled, and the building was used for housing and various institutions. The old mosque was saved from destruction by the fact that in 1981 it received the status of an architectural monument.
In 1992, the building was returned to the Muslim community. The temple received a new name - "Nurulla". The builders restored the minaret destroyed during the Soviet era and completely restored the Sennaya Mosque.
Architectural features
A two-storey stone building made of white stone has the shape of an elongated octahedron and stands in the historic district of the city - Staro-Tatar Sloboda. The central part of the building is occupied by a polygonal prayer hall, which is covered by a large green dome.
A three-story minaret rises at the end of the temple. With a pointed arch at the entrance and a jagged top, it resembles a medieval tower. The cylindrical minaret is crowned with a narrow green dome with a gilded ball and a crescent.
The decor of the mosque is made in the best traditions of the Volga Bulgaria and the Middle East. On the facades you can see keeled zakomars, stucco platbands and a beautiful pattern in the form of tulips. In Islam, spring flowers are a symbol of renewal and rebirth.
The site for the muezzin on the minaret is fenced with an openwork forged fence. The mosque's windows are decorated with intricate colored stained-glass windows. In the evenings, the mosque is beautifully illuminated.
Interiors and shrines
In Arabic, the name of the mosque means "the light of Allah". Compared to a large modern mosque Kul Sharif, Nurullah is of modest size and design. However, believers note that this temple is distinguished by special comfort and a peaceful atmosphere.
Muslim men climb the steep stairs to the prayer hall. It is very beautiful inside and there is absolutely no feeling as if you are in a showy tourist facility. The interiors are designed in pleasant green and turquoise colors. A luxurious metal chandelier hangs under the dome, and the walls are decorated with gilded quotes from the Koran.
The prayer hall for women is located on the first, service floor. The ablution room is decorated with marble, and in its center there is a carved decorative fountain.
Useful information for visitors
The temple is open to tourists from 9:00 to 18:00. You can get to the mosque free of charge at any time, except for namaz. Before entering, you must take off your shoes. Women are asked to respect Muslim traditions and enter the temple only with their heads covered and in closed clothes.
You can visit the mosque with a guide during a sightseeing tour of the Old Tatar Sloboda. The temple has a shop that sells halal products. On the site of the former Senny market, there is now a green park, which bears the name of S. Kirov.
How to get there
The mosque stands in the historical center of the city, at the intersection of Moskovskaya and Parizhskaya Kommuna streets. It is easy to walk here in 10 minutes from the metro station "Ploschad Tukaya". If desired, the temple can be reached by city buses and trolleybuses. You need to get off at the Kamala Theater stop.
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