Mukhtarov Mosque

Mukhtarov Mosque
*Мухтаров мечеть*
Mukhtarov Mosque; Мухтаров мечеть
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Location
Location	Vladikavkaz, Russia
Architecture
Architect(s)	Józef Plośko
Type	Mosque
Style	Mamluk
Date established	1908
Specifications
Dome(s)	1
Minaret(s)	2

The Sunni Mosque or the Mukhtarov Mosque is a historic mosque on the left bank of the Terek River in Vladikavkaz, Russia. The mosque owes its name to the Azerbaijani millionaire Murtuza Mukhtarov who financed its construction in 1900–1908. The architect Józef Plośko was inspired by Al-Azhar and other mosques of Cairo.^[1] Plośko was also the architect of Mukhtarov Palace in Baku. The mosque serves the Ossetian Muslim minority.

The Sunni Mosque is known for its picturesque setting against the dramatic backdrop of the Caucasus Mountains. It also used to serve the Ingush residents of Vladikavkaz before they were expelled from North Ossetia in the 1990s. The mosque has been protected as a historic landmark since 1934. In 1996, it was badly damaged by an explosion^[2] and later restored.

History edit

The mosque gets its name from Murtuza Mukhtarov, an Azerbaijani millionaire who constructed the mosque from 1900 to 1908. In 1960, under Soviet rule, it came under complete protection, in which a branch opened an indoor museum. Communism's fall brought the collapse of the Soviet Union, but within dispersion over the gatherings of Ossetian Muslims, the mosque returned to its usual function as a house of worship in 1996.