Historical mosque “Ikhlas” in Novosibirsk: photo report

The mosque of the Novonikolayevsky Mohammedan Society was built at the expense of believers in 1916 on Burlinskaya Street (now Frunze, 1a) in the Station part of the city. In 1938, the parishioners were dispersed, the minaret was demolished, and the building was given over to secular use. Only in 1993 did the Muslim community of Novosibirsk manage to regain the building. After the inspection, they decided to carry out a complete reconstruction, since the foundation had settled a meter and the logs inside had turned to dust. The first prayer in the rebuilt building was held in 2013. See what the historical Ikhlas mosque looks like now in the photo report of Novosibirsk News.

The building of the historical Ikhlas mosque on Frunze, 1a stood without a minaret during the Soviet period. The premises were designed as offices. As the head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Novosibirsk and the region Rafail-Khazrat Suleymanov said, at different times a branch of the pedagogical institute, a puppet theater, and later construction organizations worked there.

In the early 90s, the building was given to Muslims for free use. At that time the building had the status of an architectural monument. The believers decided to restore the mosque and recreate its original appearance. However, in 2010, the head of the community, Gumar-hazrat Bayazitov, died. The spiritual administration was headed by Rafail Suleymanov. According to him, he could not even imagine that he would become a leader and be involved in the restoration of the mosque.

“I was an ordinary parishioner. Came on a Friday. Sometimes he stayed to pray, sometimes he ran away. Because it’s work. I myself am from the Kuibyshevsky district. My great-grandfather lies here in Siberia, my grandmother was born here. Although our family’s roots are from the Samara province, Bashkiria,” explains Rafail Suleymanov.

The building structures were inspected twice. We came to the conclusion that it was unsuitable for use. This is how the idea arose to demolish the mosque and rebuild it according to the original design.

“The foundation sank a meter into the ground, the logs looked strong on the outside, but inside they turned out to be rotten into dust. After two studies, it was decided to demolish, raise the foundation, and strengthen it. The reconstruction project was developed by the Tomsk Institute. The state took on the restoration of the building, and the community took on the interior finishing work,” recalls its head.

According to him, among the parishioners there were many who were against the fact that the mosque was being dismantled. But when the foundation was restored and walls made of logs began to be laid, the people saw that the building was being recreated and calmed down. The gates were also restored. True, they were made according to a new project.

“The building did not have a minaret for 70 years. When we staged it, people cried and rejoiced. The construction was difficult, there were not enough specialists, crews were changed, but nevertheless everything worked out. In 2013, we already prayed in the mosque. And we’ve been working for 11 years now. We celebrated our 100th anniversary in 2016,” added Rafail Suleymanov.

He clarified that there are three mosques in Novosibirsk. Each has permanent parishioners, but there is only one Muslim community in the entire city. On holidays, more than a thousand believers come to Frunze, 1a. They take up the entire yard. The bulk of the parishioners of all mosques are Tajiks, with slightly less Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, and Tatars. There are also students from far abroad – Yemen, Egypt.

Religion House in the city City history Photo gallery