Since the 18th century Saint Petersburg welcomed the foreigners. Peter the Great approved the foreigners' arrivals to the new city. Those who came from Europe brought their customs, traditions and knowledge to the city, while Saint Petersburg was west-oriented from the very beginning. For the foreigners to feel comfortable in the city, Peter the Great and his followers ordered to build churches for people of different denominations.
However, for a long time in the capital of Russia there was no mosque, but a number of the Moslems was constantly increasing. They participated in Saint Petersburg construction and lived in the city from the first years of its existence. Religious ceremonies of the Moslems were held in private apartments until the 20th century. Only at the beginning of the 20th century it was decided to build a mosque in Saint Petersburg. The place for the future temple was very symbolic and successful: in the very center of Saint Petersburg, near the Peter and Paul fortress. It meant that the Moslems finally hold the deserved place in the society. The place intended for the mosque was inhabited by the Tatars in the first years of the city foundation. The Tatars arrived from different regions and provinces of Russia to help building Saint Petersburg.
In 1910, the building of the mosque was started. The construction works went under supervision of architects Krichinsky, Vasiliev and Gogen. According to the architects' plan, the Mosque of Saint Petersburg was supposed to be the replica of the Gur Emir Mausoleum of Tamerlane constructed in Samarqand at the beginning of the 15th century. It is one of the most outstanding monuments in Middle Asia. The construction works were supposed to be completed by the 300th anniversary of the Romanovs family ruling. In 1913, the official ceremony of the mosque took place. The first Mohammedan prayer was said. The importance of the mosque opening was emphasized by the presence of Bukhara emir and the ambassadors from Turkey and Persia.
The mosque attracts people with its exotic view, unusual for the northern landscape of Saint Petersburg. The dome and two minarets of the mosque are decorated with multi-colored tiles, the walls are made of gray granite and the facade is decorated with sayings from the Koran. The mosque of Saint Petersburg is one of the largest in Europe and the "northernmost" in the world.
The mosque architects followed the traditions of Moslem architecture in the interior decoration. The columns supporting the arches under the dome are faced with green marble. In the center of the hall hangs a giant chandelier, covered with sayings from Koran. The semi-spherical niche in the wall, calling the mihrab, is faced with blue ceramics. The mihrab's location is oriented to the sacred Moslem city of Mecca. Those who pray in the mosque have to face the mihrab. In the west side of the hall there is a gallery, intended for women's prayers, as according to Moslem custom women are not allowed to pray together with men.
Soon after the October revolution in 1917 the mosque was closed. During the World War II era, it was used as a medical equipment warehouse. Only in 1956 the mosque started to function again, but its condition was very poor. The building needed restoration, as the granite and majolica facing were damaged by Saint Petersburg climate. Nowadays the mosque is restored and serves as a functioning Moslem temple, as well as an educational and religious center.