Religious tours in Karakol.

“Build simple and modest mosques (temples), and beautiful and well-appointed cities.”

“It was explained above that the Kyrgyz converted to Islam several centuries ago, when they roamed near the settled Muslims of Central Asia, and that they had a nomadic clergy consisting of hodjas. Subsequently, under Empress Catherine II, mosques were built for the Kyrgyz on the Cossack lines, where Tatars were simultaneously settled in the cities, undermining both the spiritual influence of the hodjas and the Sart trade in the Kyrgyz nomadic camp. No matter how hard the Khojas, with the support of the Kokand khans, tried to create a counterweight to the Tatars from the southern outskirts of the Kyrgyz steppes - from Aulye-ata, Cholak, Suzak, Dzhulek, however, they did not succeed. The Tatars even achieved that the sultans and wealthy Kyrgyz stopped taking their dead for burial to Turkestan cemeteries"

N.N. Balkashin. "On the Kyrgyz and generally Muslims subject to Russia": 1887.

In 1883, by decision of the mufti of the city of Kazan, several Tatar families who knew the Koran and knew how to build mosques were sent to the Central Asian District, to the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. Some of them settled in the city of Karakol, others settled in Tamga, Sary, Ak-Suu, where they began to teach the local population the Koran and other sciences.
The founder of the mosque in the city of Karakol is Imam Muktarulla Bashirov. Thanks to the enormous assistance provided by local Muslim residents, the construction of the mosque was completed in 1887. In the summer of 1878, thanks to public donations and under the leadership of Muktarulla, the construction of a large wooden mosque began in Karakol.
Services were held in the Tatar language. The construction of a solid mosque building took nine years. 23 years later, a madrasah building was built next to it, where today a public association of Muslim women is located. During the construction of the mosque itself, wood was mainly used, but special bricks were also used, made from a special clay mixture, which even included egg yolk.
The roof of the mosque was covered with durable iron. Wooden building materials were procured at a sawmill in the village of Dzhargylchak, founded by Tatar entrepreneurs. The mosque building was designed for long-term use and could accommodate over 1,000 people. Its distinctive feature was the presence of separate spacious halls for men, women and children, as well as rooms intended for educational activities.
On both sides of the main building, on the north and south sides, there were two monumental minarets (munar): one reached 31 meters in height, the other - 20 meters. The spacious mosque was built with high quality and reliability. At the same time, the architects avoided excessive decorativeness, following the instructions of the Prophet of Islam:
"Build simple and modest mosques, and beautiful and well-maintained cities." As prescribed by Islamic tradition, a madrasah operated at the mosque, where not only Tatar children studied, but also representatives of other Muslim peoples - Kyrgyz, Uyghurs, Uzbeks. Later, this educational institution switched to a new teaching method, combining religious and secular education.
The Tatar male mekteb at the mosque, founded in 1868, began to use a new teaching method in 1901. Classes were held in the Tatar language. According to data from 1906, the mekteb students were divided into two classes, which included four departments, and the training lasted four years. In 1914, 77 Tatars, 28 Kyrgyz and Sart-Kalmyks, 24 Dungans and an Uzbek were studying here.
The mekteb was financed by the Tatar society of the city of Przhevalsk.
Many of Mullah Shakir's students later became famous educators in their region. The built mosque quickly became an important part of the cultural and social life of the Tatar diaspora in Karakol. Situated in the city centre, it, together with the madrasah and shops, was a symbol of the traditional way of life of the Tatar community.
However, after the 1917 revolution, public sentiment changed, which also affected the fate of the Tatar mosque in Karakol. In the 1930s, it was closed, and the building was converted for other purposes. According to eyewitnesses, in 1939, in the presence of a large crowd of people and the police, two majestic minarets of the mosque were destroyed.
The gilded crescents disappeared, and building materials were stolen. For those who actively participated in this destruction, their actions did not remain without consequences. Old-timers say that after two years, many of them were struck with paralysis, then they suffered a severe mental shock, and they died in agony.
According to the aksakals, a similar fate befell some members of their families. After nationalization, the mosque building, taken from the Muslim community, began to be used for various entertainment events. At first, a club was located here, promoting values ​​​​opposite to religious ones. In the 50 - 60s of the XXth century, the building functioned as the Issyk-Kul cinema, later it was converted into a sports hall, and then into a concert hall of the local music school.
The building itself was left without repair, gradually falling into disrepair. They began to dismantle it into pieces, and the property was plundered. The lessons of the looting of 1939 were forgotten. However, the mosque was not completely looted thanks to the intervention of the Muslim community of the city of Karakol.
The construction of the mosque in the 19th century with the technologies available at that time took nine years, and its revival a century later took almost as long - seven years. In 1995, the Muslim community appealed to the local administration with a request to return the building of the Tatar mosque.
The petition was granted. After many years of exploitation for unauthorized purposes, the building, inherited by the Muslim community from the state, was in a neglected state. An initiative group consisting of representatives of different nationalities took on the role of an intermediary between the clergy and the believers.
They turned to the city residents for support, organized a fundraiser, hired craftsmen to lay the floors, and purchased glass for the windows. The outbuilding for the imam's residence was also repaired. Gradually, the spontaneous work began to bear fruit - the mosque began to restore its former appearance.
In 1996, the mosque hosted a ceremonial celebration of Mawlid, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, which brought together 135 people. However, there was a need for greater participation of believers in the revival of the mosque, and it was decided to create a permanent jamaat for its full functioning.
In 1997, a meeting was held at which the public association "Tatar Mosque" was established. The territory was improved: a fence and gates were installed, the roof and ceiling were renovated, the necessary equipment was purchased, and the circular fence was completed.
All this became possible thanks to voluntary donations from residents. The organizers of the fundraiser were K. Turdiev, A. Niyazov and others. The crescent moon began to shine on the mosque again. Despite the need for further repairs, services began to be held there: daily prayers and tarawih prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.
Mullah T. Kudaiberdiev taught children free of charge. In May 2003, responding to numerous requests from parishioners and local residents, the kazy of the Issyk-Kul region, Shakir Mamatov, during the celebration of Mawlid, announced the beginning of Friday services in mosque No. 2.
Thus, the name Shakir, which belonged to two clergymen, turned out to be inextricably linked with the history of the mosque: Shakir Muzhabirov contributed to its opening, and Shakir Mamatov became the initiator of its revival.

Authority:
"The history of the temple is the history of the diaspora." V.A. Akchurin, columnist for the republican newspaper "Slovo Kyrgyzstana"
http://lib.krsu.edu.kg/uploads/files/public/3333.pdf

Photos by:
from the local history museum of the city of Karakol.
https://save-karakol.tilda.ws/page1644612.html