The Construction Process of Petersburg Mosque in Azerbaycan Press
The dream of the Muslim population of the city, who had repeatedly applied to the Tsarist government to build a mosque in Petersburg since the 1870s of the 19th century but could not receive a positive result, could only be realized with the approval of Nicholas II at the beginning of the 20th century. The permission to build the mosque pleased not only the Muslims in the capital Petersburg but also Muslims all over the world. Azerbaijani Muslims were also happy with this news and actively contributed to the fundraising campaigns organized for the construction of the Petersburg Mosque on time. In particular, Haji Zeynalabidin Taghiyev, Murtuza Mukhtarov, the Ashurbeyov Brothers, Haji Musa Naghiyev and other Baku millionaires provided significant financial support for this project and also pioneered the fundraising activities of Azerbaijani Muslims. Developments such as obtaining permission for the construction of the Petersburg Mosque, collecting donations, starting the construction and opening it had a great impact on the social and cultural life of the period and were widely covered in the press and publications. The need for a mosque, the reasons for the delay in the construction permit, and the aims of those opposing the construction were analyzed extensively in the newspapers of the period. In particular, Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s article “Peterburqdakı Məscid Haqqında” and the article “Peterburqda Məscid” published under the pen name “Ü” contain important information on this subject. Telegraph news includes detailed information about the donation meetings held in Baku, the sending of the collected aid, the thank-you letters of the committee supervising the construction to Azerbaijani Muslims for the donations, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Petersburg Mosque, the participants in this ceremony, and other activities. In the thank-you letters written to the Emir of Bukhara, gratitude is expressed for the initiatives he took for the construction of the mosque and the financial support he provided; it is stated that current and future generations will always remember him with respect for these efforts. These materials published in newspapers are of great importance in terms of confirming the accuracy of what is being written and said about the Petersburg Mosque today. At the same time, these writings are valuable in that they reveal the attitudes and behaviors of the Tsarist government and some Russian groups towards the Muslim population in the early 20th century. On the other hand, thanks to these documents, we also witness the attitudes and approaches of the Azerbaijani intellectuals towards the events and decisions taken in the early 20th century
Azerbaycan Basınında Petersburg Camisi İnşaat Süreci
19. yüzyılın 1870’li yıllarından itibaren Çarlık Hükûmeti’ne, Petersburg’da bir mescit inşa edilmesi için defalarca başvuruda bulunan, ancak olumlu bir sonuç alamayan şehrin Müslüman nüfusunun hayali, ancak 20. yüzyılın başında II. Nikolay’ın onayıyla gerçekleşebilmiştir. Mescidin inşası için izin alınması, yalnızca başkent Petersburg’daki Müslümanları değil, tüm dünya Müslümanlarını da memnun etmiştir. Azerbaycanlı Müslümanlar da bu habere sevinmiş ve Petersburg Camisi’nin zamanında yapılabilmesi için düzenlenen bağış kampanyalarına aktif olarak katkıda bulunmuşlardır. Özellikle Hacı Zeynalabidin Tağıyev, Murtuza Muhtarov, Aşurbeyov Kardeşler, Hacı Musa Nağiyev ve diğer Bakü milyonerleri, bu projeye önemli ölçüde maddi destek sağlamanın yanı sıra, Azerbaycanlı Müslümanların bağış toplama faaliyetlerine de öncülük etmişlerdir. Petersburg Camisi’nin inşası için izin alınması, bağış toplanması, inşaatın başlaması ve açılışı gibi gelişmeler, dönemin sosyal ve kültürel hayatında büyük yankı uyandırmış ve basın-yayın organlarında geniş yer bulmuştur. Mescide duyulan ihtiyaç, inşaat izninin gecikme nedenleri ve inşaata karşı çıkanların amaçları gibi konular, dönemin gazetelerinde kapsamlı bir şekilde analiz edilmiştir. Özellikle Üzeyir Hacıbeyli’nin “Peterburqdakı Məscid Haqqında” makalesi ile “Ü” müstear imzasıyla yayımlanan “Peterburqda Məscid” adlı yazı, bu konuda önemli bilgiler içermektedir. Telgraf haberlerinde ise Bakü’de düzenlenen bağış toplantıları, toplanan yardımların gönderilmesi, bağışlar nedeniyle inşaatı denetleyen komitenin Azerbaycanlı Müslümanlara teşekkür mektupları, Petersburg Camisi’nin temel atma töreni ve bu törene katılanlar ve diğer faaliyetler hakkında ayrıntılı bilgiler bulunmaktadır. Buhara Emiri’ne yazılan teşekkür mektuplarında ise caminin inşası için yaptığı girişimler ve sağladığı maddi destekten ötürü kendisine duyulan minnettarlık dile getirilmiş; bu çalışmaları nedeniyle şimdiki ve gelecek nesillerin her zaman onu saygıyla anacağı ifade edilmiştir. Gazetelerde yayımlanan bu materyaller, günümüzde Petersburg Camisi hakkında yazılanların ve söylenenlerin doğruluğunu teyit etme açısından büyük önem taşımaktadır. Aynı zamanda bu yazılar, 20. yüzyılın başlarında Çarlık Hükûmeti’nin ve bazı Rus kesimlerinin Müslüman nüfusa yönelik tutum ve davranışlarını gözler önüne sermesi bakımından değerlidir. Öte yandan, bu belgeler sayesinde 20. yüzyılın başlarında yaşanan olaylar ve alınan kararlar karşısında Azerbaycan aydınlarının tutum ve yaklaşımlarına da tanıklık etmekteyiz.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the increase in the Muslim population living in St. Petersburg led to the emergence of a number of needs in the political, social and cultural life of the city to the detriment of Muslims. One of these needs was the lack of a Muslim place of worship in the city. Although Muslims occasionally express their distress about the lack of places of worship and submit their demands for a solution to the problem, they cannot get positive results on this issue for a long time.
It was only in the early 20th century that the government of Tsarist Russia responded positively to the Muslim demand for a mosque. The first effort in this direction began when Tsar Nicholas II allowed Muslims to purchase a plot of land in the capital to build a standalone masjid building. According to Nicholas II’s order of July 18, 1906, the Muslims of St. Petersburg were allowed to collect donations totaling 750,000 rubles from Muslims living in the empire for only 10 years to help build the masjid. Sources indicate that in a short period of time about 300,000 rubles were collected. In 1907, the city’s Gronverksky Avenue and Konnoy Avenue intersection was purchased for 312,000 rubles donated by the Emir of Bukhara, Sayed Mir Abdul Ahad Khan.
After the purchase of the land, the project submitted by engineer Nikolay Vasilyev was successful in the project competition for the mosque, but it was decided to prepare the final version of the project with the contributions of architect Stepan Krichinsky and senior architect Aleksandr Ivanovich von Hohen.
After securing the necessary financial support to start the construction of the mosque, construction began with the permission of Tsar Nicholas II. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on February 3, 1910 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the reign of Sayed Mir Abdul Ahad Khan.
Although the mosque was inaugurated on February 21, 1913, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, the mosque was opened to Muslims during Ramadan on April 30, 1920, after the completion of the interior decorations, decoration and calligraphy.
With its two 49-meter-high minarets and 39-meter-high dome, this place of worship, which was built as one of the largest mosques in Europe in its time, was closed and used for various purposes between 1940 and 1955 during the years of Soviet rule, and was reopened as a place of worship on December 10, 1955 with the decision of the USSR Council of Ministers.
It is recorded in the records that Azerbaijani Muslims made the biggest contribution to the aid campaign launched among Muslims for the construction of the mosque. It is thought that the Azerbaijani press played an important role in the adoption of the issue by Azerbaijani Muslims in a period when communication opportunities were limited. The Ottoman press of the same period also provided the public with valuable information about the construction of the mosque. Especially conservative publications such as “Sırat-i Mustakim”, “Hakikat,” “Güneş,” which were well known in both countries, showed more interest in the issue.
The publications are highly qualified in terms of conveying concrete information and correcting misinformation. The main focus of the articles is on the efforts initiated to meet the needs of the mosque, the difficulties in obtaining permission for the construction of the mosque, the criticism of the Russians who opposed the construction of the mosque, the value of the mosque in the eyes of Muslims and the charity activities of Baku Muslims.
We understand from the publications that the reason why the Tsarist government did not respond to the mosque demand for years was related to the reaction of some chauvinist Russians as well as state policy. In this context, the articles of the famous musician Uzeyir Hajibeyli in issues 29 and 43 of the Hakikat newspaper published in 1910 are important. The articles criticize the unjust attitude of the Russians, who opposed the construction of mosques by Muslims, who were second only to Russians in the Russian Empire in terms of population, and who did not respect the decrees signed on the granting of religious freedoms in Russia, by creating some “fears” for themselves.
The news articles in the press are very valuable in terms of the groundbreaking ceremony of the mosque and the events that took place there, as well as providing accurate and credible information about the building. For example, in the news article titled “Masjid Building in St. Petersburg” published in the 29th issue of the Hakikat newspaper dated February 5, 1910, the groundbreaking ceremony of the mosque, the participants of the ceremony, the speeches made, and on the first page of the same issue, a telegram containing information about the presence of Tsar Nicholas II, the minister of the palace, some princes, the ministers of military and foreign affairs of the Russian Tsardom, and the head of the government at the banquet held with the participation of 78 people after the groundbreaking ceremony.
The press reports that the Emir of Bukhara played a special role in the construction of the mosque, and his work for the mosque was appreciated by Muslims living in Tsarist Russia at that time. In this regard, Haji Zeynalabidin Tagiyev’s letter of thanks to Sayyid Mir Abdul Ahad Khan is very significant. In this letter, published in the 24th issue of the newspaper “Güneş” dated September 24, 1910, Haji Zeynalabidin Tagiyev, returning from abroad, says that he stopped by the capital of the Empire to see the mosque, how happy he was when he saw the mosque, thanked the Emir for the mosque built by him, and expressed how important this building was for Muslims.
According to the information given, after receiving permission to collect donations and start construction, Baku Muslims started to support donation campaigns by forming working groups in newspaper printing houses, charity associations and charitable organizations. The article titled “Mescid Üçün Bakıdan İane” in the 29th issue of Hakikat newspaper dated February 5, 1910 mentions one of the activities carried out in this direction. The article mentions the participants in the charity meeting organized in the house of Haji Zeynalabidin Taghiyev and the sending of 30.000 manat donation to Petersburg.
We learn from the news in issue 58 of the Güneş newspaper of 1910 that after the donations were sent to Petersburg, the committee supervising the construction of the masjid sent a telegram to Haji Zeynalabidin Taghiyev expressing their thanks.
The construction of the St. Petersburg Mosque and the efforts made to realize its construction are considered as the product of the efforts of Muslims living in the Russian Empire in the early 20th century for a common goal.
