Culture & Heritage

St Petersburg Mosque in Russia, when opened in 1913, was the largest mosque in Europe.


The minarets of St Petersburg Mosque are 48 meters in height, with the impressive dome rising 39 meters high. The mosque is situated in downtown St Petersburg, so its azure dome is perfectly visible from the Trinity Bridge across the Neva.


The foundation stone was laid in 1910 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Abdul Ahat Khan in Bukhara. By that time, the Muslim community of the Russian capital exceeded 8,000 people. The projected structure was capable of accommodating most of them. The architect, ,Alexander von Hohen patterned the mosque after Gur-e Amir, the tomb of Tamerlane in Samarkhand. Its construction was completed by 1921.


The women worship on the first floor, while the men worship in the basement. The Mosque was closed to worshippers from 1940 to 1956.


All services in the mosque were terminated in 1940, and the building was used as a medical equipment storehouse. The services resumed in 1956. The building has been managed by the Muslim Religious Society since then.

The third edition of the Dubai International Exhibition of the Art of Arabic Calligraphy was inaugurated at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel recently, by United Arab Emirates Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais. Calligraphers from 18 countries attended the Third International Arabic Calligraphy exhibition which was organised by the Dubai Tourism, Commerce and Marketing (DTCM) in collaboration with the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture of Istanbul. Participants of the five-day exhibition were drawn from several countries, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Bosnia, Bangladesh, Libya, Algeria, Japan, Oman, Lebanon and the UAE.


Eight countries participated for the first time, including Morocco, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Libya, Algeria, Japan, Oman and Bosnia.