Red Great Mosque: the Spiritual Center of Tatarskaya Sloboda

Architectural Monuments • Temples and places of worship • Mosques

Tatars lived on the territory of Tomsk long before the appearance of the Russian settlers. After the construction of the prison on the Voskresenskaya Mountain, the Tatars began to settle on a plot of land between the rivers Tom and Istok. Here the Tatarskaya Sloboda was formed. The Red Great Mosque stands on its main street — Tatarskaya. It was erected on the place of the repeatedly burned wooden mosques. In 1903 the Muslims of Tomsk raised funds for the construction of a stone building. The largest contribution was made by the well-known merchant Karym Khamitov, whose «Moorish palace» — a house in the oriental style stands near the mosque. Now the center of Tatar culture operates in it.

The first Tomsk Red Great Mosque was built in the traditional style, focused on Mecca. Its name Red the mosque received because of the red brick walls. During the Soviet era the mosque was badly damaged. It opened again in 2001 and became the center of spiritual culture.

Red Great Mosque: the Spiritual Center of Tatarskaya Sloboda

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