Saint Petersburg Mosque
The city of Saint Petersburg has one of the largest mosques in Europe. It is located near Peter and Paul’s fortress. Its turquoise dome is 39 meters high. Its minarets, with their tops covered in blue ceramic, tower at 48 meters.
Russian architect Nikolai Vassiliev found his inspiration in Gur-e Amir (mausoleum in Uzbekistan). Qualified workers from Central Asia took part in the construction of this marvel of Muslim architecture.
The first stone was laid on the three hundredth anniversary of the Romanov dynasty: February 3, 1910. Although the first services took place as soon as 1914, the building was only entirely completed in 1918.
After the Bolshevik Reolution the mosque was closed in 1931. It was returned to the cult in 1956.