Московская историческая мечеть

The Old Mosque, also called the Moscow Historical Mosque, stands in Zamoskvorechye, a district historically settled by Tatars. It was built in 1823 to replace an earlier mosque lost in the Moscow fire of 1812. It is protected as a regional cultural heritage site in Russia. Its facade, which does not differ markedly from neighbouring houses, reflects the conditions attached to its construction. A cupola and minaret were added in 1880 and a madrasa in 1915. Closed in the Soviet era, the mosque was reopened for worship in the 1990s.

The mosque was built in 1823 to replace an older private mosque destroyed in the fire of 1812. The land belonged to a Tatar merchant, Nasarbai Hashalov. The tsarist authorities allowed a Muslim house of prayer to be built on condition that it not be called a mosque and that its facade not differ significantly from those of neighbouring houses.

A cupola and minaret were added in 1880, and the madrasa dates from 1915. The Soviet authorities closed the mosque in 1939. The minaret was demolished during the Soviet period, and worship did not resume until 1993. The minaret was rebuilt in the early 1990s.