One of the most worshiped and legendary mosques in Kazan Khanate
were the mosque named in honour of Imam Seid Kul Sharif – prominent figure in
the history of the Tatar people, most educated of his time, a poet and social
activist, deep intellect and experience, diplomat and influential public and
respected religious agent as absolute spiritual Muslim leader of Kazan Khanate.
During the tragic events of 1552 head of defended shakirds (medresse pupil)
group heroically died like a real warrior in walls of the grand mosque.

In accordance with the dated November 13, 1955 Decree by President
Mintimer Shaimiev to reconstruct the mosque on the territory of Kazan Kremlin
as synthesizing an Islamic revival ideals in actual Tatar culture – in western
part – in the backyard of the former cadet military school.Turn of Volga
throughout 12 – 15 km above and below a current is focused as dominating on
white stone walls podium by the Kremlin in a city landscape of Kazan, –
vertical reference points of a city citadel panorama dictate оrdered on scale
to a mosque`s composition context, keeping planning weight of the Kazan
historical centre on all four hundred square kilometres space of a modern city
territory.

Near visual corridors – such as street Kremlin, New Kremlin, Big
Red, Karl Marx, Nagornaja, Dzerzhinsky, Fairground and etc. – initiate planning
an optimum binding of object in live space of the historical centre.Marble
colors mosques have been chosen for achievement of color modulations tiny
nuances – a successful combination of warm shades marble – ivory or settled
lime honey, – any “as though” defects of marble are positive to a
plan by similarity with propolis particles – the address of the Volga region
and republic is unambiguously supported.

 Town-planning landing octagonal in a court yard of the
former Junkersky school harmoniously combines two orientations – on a sacral
axis on Kaaba and a direction on an extended axis of the case coinciding with
parts of the world- in massive mosque podium. Two court yard platforms used as
upper ritual sacral and lower for museum–excursion activities. On the basis of
an eight-final star – typical and characteristic ornamental motive «a square in
a square» – geometrical analogue of topological base “Bismilla” – the
projection of the allocated contour finds qualities and signs consecrated at
position of this figure on a surface of the earth – each of eight parties of a
figure were builded in a vertical projection in the form of arches (Turkic –
the tired out back) at mutual crossing formed complete and central volume of
the future mosque.

The same figure «a square in a square» – in an internal contour
from internal corners – has formed a tectonic skeleton of the future dome arch
–which construction is unique with domes support on 8 tops crossed
ferro-concrete monolithic arches, and building walls do not perceive hold-apart
loadings from dome weight.

The external contour of a mosque is formed by eight direct angular
projections, developed to each other at an angle of 135 degrees – all of them
on a substantial scale and in dimensions are proportional to key accents of the
Kremlin panorama in value «a signal – a background», and on four of which – on
parts of the world – verticals of the basic minarets are located.

Under legends of doubtful but often quoted sources the historical
prototype had eight minarets, two averages from which direct the basic sacral
axis on Kaaba, two – small – form an alignment of an entrance mosque portal –
peshtak. Arch contours bear sacred suras and ayats of Koran, the general layout
model and a great skill of the dead hattat of Kul Sharif mosque – the Afghani
calligrapher Mahmud Mirza Ali – allows both complete perusal, and ambivalent
partitioning of the initial sacral message on integral semantic text fragments
– an arch as a whole, the top segments, and parts in formed by crossing of
arches among themselves elements 135 degrees outlines – symbolically and formally
identical combined in characteristic for Islam prayful gesture to palms.
Coverings and roofs of such elements form the configurations very close to
ethnic sign of nomadic people of Don and Volga – a tulip, in coverings of the
big minarets reminding ready to be dismissed buds.

The mosque has four levels – lower stilobate-podium used as Islam
Museum, women hall and dressing rooms, ablution halls, administrative and
technical rooms, – in ground floor there are men hall dressing rooms, Imams
private office. Prayers hall for 720 men and women gallery level for 300 women
locate in first and second floor.

The construction of a mosque from the monolithic ferro-concrete –
loadings are distributed on arch frames in regular intervals and transferred to
the basis only in knots of an external protecting contour of a building – the
interlacing of arch beams forms the freakish at the same time rigid basis of a
dome basic ring – the natural beauty of such tectonic model is so elegantly
expressive and spatially rich, plastically elegant and is on a substantial
scale harmonious – that necessity for excessive and objectionable great wisdom
of the Founder of vain scenery would be excessive – but the people maintained
the test for an art maturity in atmosphere of preparation for anniversary
of a city – and hastened .

 The
arch niches are decorated with the medallions in the technoloque of mosaic with
the names of honored prophets in the Koran : Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus
and Mohammad. On the top of the stained glass windows, under the canvas of the
dome space and on dome itself there are 99 epithets of the God, made of smalt,
coated with gold leaf. Around the ring of the dome s prop there is Surah Gimran
made of smalt. On the four corners of the praying hall on the level of women s
gallery there are four shamails with surahs from the Koran. The praying hall is
lightened by a central crystal chandelier, 9 meters in height and 5 meter in
diameter. The Mihrab s dome is decorated by ornamenyal composition looking like
flowers branches interlaced with each other and symbolizing paradise gardens
(Firdaus). On the bottom level there is the Islam museum, where the exposition
of Islam history on the territory of Russia and Tatarstan is represented.

In the mosque interior there are also widely used wood engravings,
leather patchwork, embroidery and other types of
ornamental and artistic decoration, continuing the rich tradition of arts
and crafts of the Tatar people.