The Kebir-Jami Mosque (russian: Кебир-Джами, uk, Кебір-Джамі, crh, Kebir Cami, tr, Kebir Camii) is located in

Simferopol Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, ...

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

. Kebir-Jami mosque is a prominent architectural monument in Simferopol and the oldest building in the city.

History

In 1508, or 914 Hijri by the Muslim calendar, Kebir-Jami mosque was dedicated. Writing at the entrance of the mosque in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

states: "This mosque was built for the Glory of the Mightiness of the Khan

Meñli I Giray Meñli I Giray ( crh3, I Meñli Geray, ۱منكلى كراى) (1445–1515), also spelled as Mengli I Giray, was a '' khan'' of the Crimean Khanate (1466, 1469–1475, 1478–1515) and the sixth son of Hacı I Giray. Biography Struggle f ...

, may Allah forgive all sins of himself and his children in the month of

Muharram Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after R ...

in the year of nine hundred and fourteen". It is believed that the white walls of the mosque gave name to the medieval city of Aqmescit (White Mosque). Through the years the mosque has undergone reconstruction many times. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Kebir-Jami was left in a state of neglect. For several years the mosque was used as a book-cover workshop. After the return of the

Crimean Tatars , flag = Flag of the Crimean Tatar people.svg , flag_caption = Flag of Crimean Tatars , image = Love, Peace, Traditions.jpg , caption = Crimean Tatars in traditional clothing in front of the Khan's Palace ...

from

deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...

a revival of the old mosque began: in 1989 the mosque was given back to the Muslim community. Reconstruction began in late October 1991. Today, Kebir-Jami is the main

Friday mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.* * * * * * * ...

of Crimea, it is the residence of the

Mufti A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important rol ...

and the location of the Spiritual Direction of the Muslims of Crimea. The grounds also included a

madrasah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

(educational institution) and the Crimean Tatar library.

References

Mosques in Crimea Buildings and structures in Simferopol 16th-century mosques Religious buildings and structures completed in 1508 Closed mosques in the Soviet Union Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Crimea {{Europe-mosque-stub

History

See also

References