Live webcam broadcasts in real time the largest mosque in Crimea - the Cathedral Mosque in Simferopol. Today Kebir-Jami is the main Friday cathedral mosque in Simferopol, the residence of the mufti and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Crimea. The complex includes a madrasah (educational institution) and a library.
Kebir-Jami is the oldest building in Simferopol, it was built by Khadzhi Abdurahim-Bek in 1508 on the land donated by the Crimean Khan Mengli “I” Geray. This is evidenced by the inscription on the portal of the temple, which has survived to this day. According to some reports, the date of construction is even earlier - 1502.
Initially, the temple was rectangular, measuring 9 by 12 meters. The entrance to the temple was from the north, the mihrab (niche) and the minaret, which stood separately, were in the southern part. The walls were lined with shell rock on clay mortar and later whitewashed with lime. The constantly maintained whiteness of the walls determined the name of the temple - Ak-Mosque, over time this was the name of the entire settlement.
It is known from historical sources that at the beginning of the 18th century the mosque burned, but in 1772 it was restored and expanded. In 1907, the temple was completely renovated and expanded. After the renovation, its appearance changed: the minaret turned out to be inside the side naves, which were added, a cornice appeared on the northern facade, enriched with small plastic, and on the southern facade there was a pediment decorated with kokoshniks, which were not characteristic of Islamic architecture.
Soon after the reconstruction, the building received the status of the Kebir-Jami cathedral temple. The mosque continued to function after the October Revolution. Kebir-Jami was closed for political reasons after the deportation of the Crimean Tatars and was dilapidated for many years. Then the building was used as a bookbinding workshop. In 1989, when the Crimean Tatars began to return to the peninsula, the mosque was returned to the Muslim community. This is how the revival of Kebir-Jami began.
The mosque, which almost perished from decay, was restored in 1994. New stone walls were erected on the old foundations. Now the temple is different from what it was 500 years ago. Only a few details remain from the old building: part of the southern wall with a mihrab has been preserved. The present appearance of the mosque is decided in the forms of Turkish religious architecture. The three-nave prayer hall with a narthex, a choir for women and a minaret located in the western nave is crowned with a hemispherical dome on a high octahedral drum with lancet windows on all sides. The windows in the lower tier are rectangular, at the top - lancet and rounded. Ornate patterns adorn the walls and arched openings inside. The noble green color is taken as a basis.