Tashkent – mosques, churches


Asia

Tashkent – mosques, churches


Minor Mosque

Minor Mosque

The Minor Mosque is a completely new architectural landmark of Tashkent. The opening of the mosque took place before the holiday of Kurban Hayit in 2014. And almost immediately after its opening, this majestic structure on the banks of the Ankhor canal received the status of one of the most important spiritual centers of Uzbekistan. The mosque accommodates over 2,500 people.

The mosque was built according to all the norms of traditional oriental architecture, but it differs from the more ancient ones in the decoration of white marble, therefore, Tashkent residents often call it the “White Mosque”. The building has a two-story prayer hall and two terraces, which kindly invite the traveler to enter the courtyard decorated with carved wooden columns.

The interior decoration betrays the very young age of the building. But such a conclusion can be made due to the huge amount of modern building finishing material. Otherwise, all the same traditional for Central Asian mosques carving on plaster of paris, many frescoes and a mihrab (a niche indicating the direction to Mecca), decorated with quotes from the Koran and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. The Tashkent mihrab is an exact copy of the Samarkand one.



Oltintepa Mosque

Oltintepa Mosque

Uzbek master engineers never cease to amaze by erecting and decorating mosques. Oltintepa Mosque was reconstructed in 2016. Now the spacious room can accommodate up to 2,300 people at a time.

The building is made in the best traditions of Uzbek architecture. It is decorated with a blue dome, and the beauty of the interior decoration is breathtaking.

The large hall and the courtyard become like a refuge from the bustle of the city and a place to find harmony.

Oltintepa Mosque is located in Mirzo-Ulugbek district, on Gazalkent street. It has become a local landmark that is impossible to pass by.



Islom-ota Mosque

Islom-ota Mosque

One of the oldest mosques in Uzbekistan has a 300-year history. Previously, it was called Jurabek. In 2015, the mosque was damaged by a fire and, after restoration, was renamed in honor of the first president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov.

After reconstruction, the territory of the mosque complex has doubled and can accommodate up to 10 thousand people.

The complex is decorated with a huge blue dome, one high minaret in the center and four small minarets in the corners.

It also has a library that contains rare editions and original manuscripts.



Kukcha Mosque and Sheikh Zainiddin Mausoleum

Kukcha Mosque and Sheikh Zainiddin Mausoleum

In the old city part of Tashkent, in the Kukcha mahalla, there is a mosque named after the Islamic saint Sheikh Zainiddin, whose mausoleum is located in the same place. The people call the mosque Kukcha because of its location. Up to 6,000 Muslims can pray here at the same time.

Sheikh Zayniddin was born in 1164. He devoted his life to preaching the teachings of the founder of the Sufi order Suhrawardiya – Shahobiddin Suhrawardi. The saint's mausoleum was erected at the end of the XIV century by order of Tamerlane himself.

Today the mosque is one of the most beautiful places of pilgrimage in Uzbekistan, as in 2011 it was reconstructed using calligraphic art, woodcarving and ganch.



Holy Dormition Cathedral (Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God)

Holy Dormition Cathedral, Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God

The construction of the temple began in 1877 to replace the old building of the Panteleimon Church, built in 1871 at the hospital cemetery. Funds for its construction were donated by the residents of the city: for example, the Governor-General of Turkestan Kaufman contributed 3,000 rubles. The largest amount was contributed by the Tashkent merchant of the first guild Dmitry Zakho, who subsequently was the church head here for 15 years. On January 31, 1879, the temple was consecrated in honor of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon.

In 1922, the parish came under the jurisdiction of the Renovationist Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1933, the temple was closed for worship, after which the sanitary warehouse of the Central Asian Military District was located in the building until 1945. In December 1945, the church was returned to the believers, after which it was re-consecrated in the name of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time it received the status of a cathedral of the Tashkent diocese. In 1958-1960, the building was rebuilt and expanded.

In the early 90s, the bell tower of the cathedral and its domes were rebuilt, the territory attached to the cathedral was expanded and ennobled, the interior of the cathedral also became richer. On November 10, 1996, during his visit to Tashkent, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II performed a divine service in the cathedral.

In 2014, another building was erected for the funeral service of the deceased - the Church of St. Luke of Crimea. This famous saint and surgeon lived and served in Tashkent during 1917-1938.

Now the general complex of buildings includes the Assumption Cathedral, the Holy Water, the Baptismal, and the Theological Seminary. On the south side of the Cathedral there is a marble plaque in honor of the centenary of the Tashkent diocese, which lists all the bishops who headed the diocese.



Chapel of St. George the Victorious

Chapel of St. George the Victorious

t was installed and is located in a residential makhalla near the Kamolonskie gates, which, unfortunately, have not survived to this day.

In 1865, over the common grave of 24 Russian ordinary soldiers who died in the assault on Tashkent under the command of General Chernyaev, a tombstone was placed with the inscription "For your friends" and a monument was erected: three pyramids of mortar cannonballs. The place of the grave was not chosen by chance, since there is a Muslim cemetery Kamolon near the chapel.

In 1886, a chapel was erected, which, according to Orthodox tradition, was decorated with Slavic inscriptions from the Old and New Testaments. Illuminated in honor of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious. In the middle of the chapel was a prism: on one side there was an icon, on the other - inscriptions from the Testament, and on the third - the names of the dead soldiers.

Near the chapel there was a small garden with a church entrance, crosses and a beautiful cast-iron fence. The monument was looked after by disabled veterans of the war, who were given a salary for this. Every year, on June 15, on the Day of the capture of Tashkent, a procession of the cross with banners and church chants was performed along the central streets of pre-revolutionary Tashkent.

The complex existed until the October Revolution of 1917, was plundered and destroyed. In 1949, the plot of land where the monument was located was received by an Uzbek family, who built a house nearby. The chapel was restored by Easter 2020.



Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

There is one unique building in the Gothic style in the center of Tashkent. Due to its favorable location, it seems to rise slightly above the ground. The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (or as the people call it “Polish Church”) is the only Catholic church in Tashkent. The cathedral belongs to the apostolic administration of Uzbekistan.

The construction of the Catholic church began in 1912. Initially, the workers at the construction of the church were Catholic soldiers who served in Tashkent, later there were prisoners of war held near Tashkent, among whom were highly qualified engineers, sculptors and masons. After the revolution and the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, construction was suspended. From 1925 to 1976, the unfinished church housed various enterprises, a hostel and warehouses. During the period until the temple was used for its intended purpose, all the sculptures were plundered and destroyed. In 1976, after the decision of the authorities to restore the building, it was restored and transferred to the balance of the Ministry of Culture of the Uzbek SSR. In 1981, the building of the church was declared an architectural and historical monument of Uzbekistan. In 1992, by decision of the authorities of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the building of the cathedral was transferred to the Catholic parish of Tashkent. In 1993, a complete restoration of the building began.

Currently, Sunday masses in the temple are conducted in four languages: English, Russian, Korean and Polish. There are 3 Franciscan monks, 1 Franciscan monk and a bishop of the Apostolic Administration of Uzbekistan serving at the temple.



Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

This is the oldest surviving Orthodox church in the capital, founded at the very beginning of the twentieth century. In his lifetime, he survived the 1966 earthquake, which split him in two. However, after the restoration, the church took on its former appearance and now again pleases tourists and residents with its beauty.



Tashkent – monuments of our time
Tashkent – museums and theaters
Tashkent – historical monuments
Tashkent – parks, squares, gardens
Samarkand – the crossroads of cultures
Bukhara – ancient and eternal
Khiva – a time portal to the past
Khorezm – country of a thousand fortresses

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